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THE  TRAIL  TO  THE 
HEARTS   OF   MEN 


0JE  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


PAUL  DECIDED  TO  TAKE  A  TRIP  TO  HANKOW  AND  BACK, 

WITH    HIS   OLD   FRIEND,    THE    CAPTAIN 

(See  page  114) 


THE  TRAIL  TO  THE 
HEARTS  OF  MEN 

A  STORY  OF  EAST  AND  WEST 


BY 

ABE  CORY 

ILLUSTRATED 


"  Straight  is  the  line  of  duty, 
Curved  is  the  line  of  beauty ; 
Follow  the  first,  and  thou  shalt  see 
The  second  ever  following  thee." 


NEW  YORK          CHICAGO  TORONTO 

Fleming   H.    Revel  1    Company 

LONDON  AND  EDINBURGH 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:  100  Princes  Street 


DEDICATED 

To  the  Comrades  of  the  Trail  Far  and  Near 


2126206 


CONTENTS 

I.    A  FAR  LAND 1 1 

II.  DREAMS  OF  DAYS  AGONE    ...  23 

III.  THE  ACCIDENT  OF  ACQUAINTANCE    .  31 

IV.  FATE'S  HAND 38 

V.    THE  TEST 45 

VI.  THE  DECREE  OF  FALSE  IDEALS  .        .  49 

VII.  OLD  FRIENDS  IN  NEW  LANDS     .       .  54 

VIII.  TIES  THAT  ARE  STRANGE  ...  58 

IX.    MAN'S  FOES 66 

X.  "  THE  POWERS  THAT  BE  "  .       .       .  72 

XL  A  NATION'S  CURSE      ....  77 

XII.     EXPLANATIONS 85 

XIII.  THE  VENGEANCE  OF  HATE  ...  92 

XIV.  RELIGIONS  ANCIENT     ....  98 
XV.  REAL  INVESTMENTS      .       .       .       .103 

XVI.  LOVE'S  YEARNING 109 

XVII.  CONFIDENCES 114 

XVIII.  Two  VIEWS  OF  LIFE  .  .  .  .123 

XIX.  SEEKING  THE  ETERNAL  .  .  .  129 

XX.  CHANGING  THE  OLD  .  .  ..  .  137 

XXI.  THE  SOUND  OF  MANY  WATERS  .       ;  141 

XXII.  THE  SERVICE  OF  SALVATION      .       .  151 

I 


10 


CONTENTS 


XXIII.  PASSION  OF  REVENGE    .       .       .159 

XXIV.  GRATITUDE'S  EXPRESSION      .       .166 
XXV.  A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  .       .       .       .176 

XXVI.  VICTORY  OF  EXAMPLE  .       .       .     182 

XXVII.  THE     JOURNEY'S     TRIUMPHANT 

CLOSE  .       .     -  .       .       ,       .     187 

XXVIII.  POINTING  NEW  TRAILS  .  .     191 

XXIX.  MONEY'S  REAL  RETURN  .    -...'     .     196 

XXX.  CONQUERING  THE  DRAGON  .       .     200 

XXXI.  "  GREATER  LOVE  HATH  No  MAN  "     210 

XXXII.  STRANGE  MEETINGS       .-      .       .     219 

XXXIII.  THE  NEW  IN  ACTION  .       .       ;  '.  230 

XXXIV.  A  NEW  NATION'S  NEED       .       .     236 
XXXV.  THE  FRUITAGE  OF  FORMER  WORK    240 

XXXVI.  THE  FORELOPER'S  OPPORTUNITY  .     248 

XXXVII.  THE  LAST  VOYAGE  .       ...       ,     253 

XXXVIII.  DECISIONS  RECONSIDERED     .       .     259 

XXXIX.  FACING  THE  END  .       ,       .       .     267 

XL.  WEALTH'S  TEMPTATION     .  .  :     .     275 

XLI.  COMPANIONSHIPS  RENEWED  .       .     283 

XLII.  MANY  TRAILS  .-.»...       .       .     292 

XLIII.  "NOT  YOURS,  BUT  You"    .       .     301 

XLIV.  THE  POWER  OF  ACCOMPLISHMENT     308 

XLV.  THE  ENEMIES'  REVENGE      .       .     316 

XLVI.  TEMPTATIONS  OF  LONELINESS      .     319 

XLVII.  THE  CALL  OF  A  FRIEND  ETERNAL    324 

XLVIII.  To  THE  TRAIL'S  END    .       .       .329 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PACK 


Paul  Decided  to  Take  a  Trip  to  Hankow  and 
Back,  with  His  Old  Friend,  the  Captain  .        .    Title 

"But  How  Can  It  Be  Drained?"  Chu  Asked, 
"This  Water  is  Always  Here"     .       .       .138 

"  Can't  You  See  that  it  Will  Not  be  Alone  ?  "    .     328 


A  FAR  LAND 

OVER  China  hung  the  heat  and  stench  of  early 
summer.  Mist  and  sweat  were  rising  from 
fields,  ponds  and  canals.  Three  horsemen  fol- 
lowed a  narrow  road  through  rich  rice  fields  and  fields 
of  poppies  blazing  in  the  sunshine.  They  rode  abreast 
when  the  way  permitted,  but  more  often  they  were 
compelled  to  follow  each  other  in  single  file.  They 
passed  low-lying  hills  covered  with  the  numberless 
graves  of  China.  Now  and  again  the  road  ran  close 
to  a  narrow  canal,  and  the  travelers  passed  rafts  made 
of  bamboo  poles,  little  ferry  boats  and  a  large  house 
boat  laden  with  grain. 

Stretching  far  into  the  distance  a  flotilla  of  yellow- 
ribbed  sails,  large  and  small,  of  hundreds  of  boats 
scurried  before  a  fair  wind.  The  distant  boats  them- 
selves were  hidden  by  dikes,  and  only  the  sails  could 
be  seen.  On  the  foredeck  of  one  of  the  boats,  which 
were  only  four  or  five  feet  in  width  and  about  a  dozen 
feet  in  length,  was  a  young  boy,  half  clad,  stretched 
out  at  full  length,  ready  to  drop  the  sail  at  a  sudden 
change  of  the  wind,  while  in  the  stern  sat  a  silent 
figure  whose  duty  it  was  to  care  for  the  rudder,  and 
as  the  wind  dropped  there  could  be  heard  from  the 
boat  his  call,  half  halloo  and  half  cry,  to  the  God  of 
the  Wind. 

11 


12     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

As  the  travellers  swung  back  from  the  canal  they 
passed  ponds  covered  with  green  slime,  and  before  them 
in  the  distance  rose  the  walls,  pagodas  and  towers  of 
the  ancient  city  of  Fou  Cheo. 

The  three  travelers  were  of  as  many  different  types. 
One,  from  a  casual  glance,  appeared  to  be  about  sixty 
years  old.  His  face  was  wrinkled  and  seared  with 
the  scars  of  time,  and  his  blue  eyes  looked  straight 
ahead,  missing  nothing  in  their  range  of  vision.  His 
steady  hand  betokened  a  composure  which  comes  after 
battles  fought  and  won.  He  sat  his  horse  like  an 
aristocrat,  yet  his  manner  proclaimed  the  democrat. 
When  he  spoke  his  voice  rasped  a  little,  but  his  laugh 
always  attracted  those  who  heard  it.  For  a  moment  it 
seemed  to  come  straight  between  his  stubby  teeth,  then 
become  obstructed  and  finally  bubble  forth  in  a  last 
explosion.  While  he  seemed  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  country  through  which  they  traveled,  his 
voice  and  manner  suggested  to  the  close  observer  that 
he  had  also  known  the  fields  and  hills  of  Canada. 

At  his  side,  in  eager  conversation,  rode  a  young 
man  evidently  city  bred;  his  appearance  marked  him 
as  clean-minded,  clean-limbed  and  clean-hearted,  a 
thoroughbred.  He  was  the  type  of  man  who  com- 
manded attention  wherever  he  went,  to  whom  children 
nodded  gaily  as  they  passed  along,  and  into  whose 
eyes  women  who  never  glanced  at  other  men  looked 
frankly,  finding  greater  belief  in  the  world  because  he 
went  by,  and  at  whose  coming  men  filled  with  a  thou- 
sand cares  straightened  unconsciously  with  new 
courage. 


A  FAR  LAND  13 

The  third  man  rode  his  horse  less  easily.  To  the  son 
of  the  West,  the  manner  in  which  the  son  of  the  East 
sits  his  horse  seems  crude  and  grotesque.  He  sat 
hunched  up  in  evident  discomfort.  He  seemed  to 
be  a  man  of  culture,  and  in  whose  veins  flowed  cen- 
turies of  China's  life. 

As  the  men  neared  the  city  they  passed  bamboo 
and  wood  yards  outside  the  city  wall.  Now  they 
entered  the  narrow  streets  and  picked  their  way  over 
the  slippery  stones.  On  either  side  were  small  shacks 
of  bamboo  matting  where  the  rice  merchant  plied  his 
trade,  and  the  maker  of  bread  cakes  could  be  seen 
frying  his  bread  on  the  little  earthen  stoves  that  were 
placed  in  view  of  all.  Everywhere  were  the  stands  of 
venders  of  sliced  watermelons,  pumpkins,  and  all 
sorts  of  edibles,  which,  as  they  lay  out  uncovered  in 
the  summer  heat,  were  food  for  flies  and  gnats.  Here 
the  native  bread  and  candies  were  also  offered  for  sale. 
Through  this  narrow  street  passed  every  phase  of 
Chinese  life;  the  farmer  carrying  his  burden  of  straw 
reeds  for  fuel  swung  out  on  the  ends  of  a  pole,  the 
coolie  with  his  basket  of  oil  or  of  rice,  the  wheel- 
barrow man  pushing  his  human  cargo,  and  the  slow 
moving  figure  of  the  teacher  swinging  his  arms  and 
with  difficulty  maintaining  his  dignity  over  the  slip- 
pery stones  and  through  the  jostling  crowds.  Often 
the  flow  of  traffic  was  interrupted  by  the  shrill  cry  of 
an  old  woman  who  had  been  cheated  in  a  bargain  and 
stood  blocking  the  way,  while  she  reviled  the  vender 
and  his  ancestors  for  many  generations.  The  bearers 
of  sedan  chairs  stopped  frequently  to  toss  a  few  cash 


14  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

to  the  vendors  of  watermelons  and  candies,  and  after 
brushing  off  the  flies  and  other  vermin  from  their  pur- 
chase, munched  it  in  evident  enjoyment  as  they  went 
on  their  way. 

As  the  travelers  rode  on,  the  older  man  turned  to 
the  younger.  "  This  is  a  fine  mess,"  he  said.  "  Look 
at  that  stuff  those  people  are  eating,  will  you?  It 
means  death.  Fifty  miles  from  here  there  is  cholera, 
and  as  sure  as  fate  this  swarm  of  vermin  will  bring 
to  this  city  the  scourge  of  that  terrible  disease." 

"  But,  Dr.  Means,  how  are  you  going  to  stop  it  ?  " 
was  the  query. 

"  I  don't  know,"  was  the  reply  in  hopeless  tones.  "  I 
have  tried  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  to  warn  the  peo- 
ple in  towns  like  this,  but  they  won't  listen.  They  say 
their  ancestors  have  eaten  food  touched  by  flies  and 
vermin  all  these  centuries  and  lived,  and  why  should 
they  be  frightened.  I  dare  say  before  another  week 
we  will  have  a  fine  fight  on  our  hands,  and  what  can 
we  do  in  those  temporary  and  limited  quarters  of 
yours,  I'd  like  to  know  ?  " 

Then  he  seemed  to  throw  off  the  burden  of  it  for 
a  moment. 

"  Redmond,"  he  said,  "  I  guess  we  shall  have  to  do 
what  we  have  always  done,  wait  and  fight  it  when  it 
comes,  and  if  I  know  the  signs  it  will  come  and  at  no 
distant  date." 

He  turned  to  the  tall  Chinese  who  had  alighted  from 
his  horse  and  was  leading  it  through  the  streets. 

"  Mr.  Chu,"  he  asked,  "  isn't  there  some  way  to 
stop  this  business  and  clean  up  these  streets?  Look 


A  FAR  LAND  15 

at  those  children  there  eating  the  candy  from  which 
they  have  just  shaken  the  flies." 

"  Honored  sir,"  Chu  laughed,  "  you  and  your  hon- 
orable land  understand,  but  how  little  do  we  of  this 
poor  land  know  of  all  these  things." 

Thus  talking  the  three  men  continued  their  way  to 
the  little,  temporary  quarters  where  Paul  Redmond, 
Chu,  his  teacher,  and  a  native  Chinese  doctor  had 
established  a  station  where  they  hoped  to  help  the 
people  of  the  city.  The  older  man  was  a  veteran 
worker.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  his  hospital  had 
been  known  at  Nanking  and  through  the  central  part 
of  China,  and  he  was  now  in  Fou  Cheo  to  spend  some 
time  with  Redmond,  to  look  over  his  work,  and  to  con- 
sult him  about  larger  plans.  From  what  he  had  seen 
that  day  he  knew  that  the  visit  which  he  had  expected 
would  last  only  a  day  or  two  would  extend  into  weeks. 

As  they  walked  through  the  narrow  streets,  they  saw 
a  group  of  priests,  sounding  gongs  and  chanting  before 
the  door  of  one  of  the  houses.  Some  of  them  wore  the 
long,  gaudy,  red  robe  of  the  Taoist  priests,  with  hair 
dressed  high  on  their  heads,  while  the  close  shaven 
heads  of  the  others,  indicated  that  they  were  Buddhist 
priests. 

Pushing  their  way  through  this  group  and  past  the 
large  burning  candles  beside  the  door,  they  found  the 
people  inside  crying  for  help.  On  a  cot  lay  a  boy  toss- 
ing and  muttering,  and  one  look  at  him  sufficed  the 
doctor.  There  were  great  red  spots  on  the  boy's  body, 
where  he  had  been  burned  by  hot  irons,  and  native 
doctors  were  trying  to  feed  him  crushed  beetles  and 


16     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

powdered  snake-skins.  They  were  calling  out  to  the 
spirits  of  the  great  heroes  of  Chinese  medicine,  Tung 
Fung  and  Tsu  Tau,  and  imploring  them  to  come  as 
they  had  in  days  of  yore,  and  ward  off  the  evil  disease. 
Dr.  Means  reviled  them  for  their  ignorance  and  under 
the  storm  of  his  indignation  the  beating  of  the  gongs 
ceased,  and  they  came  to  him  and  asked  him  what  to 
do.  In  a  few  well-directed  words  he  ordered  a  Chinese 
doctor  who  had  been  trained  in  a  foreign  hospital  to 
administer  certain  remedies,  and  then  left  the  house. 

The  old  doctor  shook  his  head. 

"  I  fear  it  is  too  late,"  he  'said  gravely,  as  they 
passed  into  the  deepening  twilight. 

The  people  were  leaving  their  almost  windowless 
homes  in  search  of  a  cool  place  to  sleep.  Out  of  the 
mud  and  hollow  brick  houses  one  story  high  that  lined 
the  long  narrow  streets  there  poured  a  stream  of  half- 
clad  men  and  women.  Hundreds  of  men,  wearing  only 
light  calico  trousers,  were  stretched  out  on  the  narrow 
stones  along  the  sides  of  the  street,  where,  in  spite  of 
the  mosquitoes  and  vermin,  they  were  able  to  find 
some  rest. 

"  It  has  come,"  said  the  doctor.  "  Four  or  five 
times  in  this  quarter  of  a  century  I  have  seen  the 
cholera  come  and  go,  and  how  little  we  have  done 
after  all !  You  know  the  magistrate  of  this  town  " — 
turning  to  Paul — "  let  us  go  to  him  and  see  if  he  can't 
do  something." 

When  they  reached  the  courtyard  of  the  magistrate's 
yamen  large  red  cards  were  presented  to  the  doorman, 
and  when  it  was  known  that  Dr.  Means  and  Paul 


A  FAR  LAND  17 

Redmond  were  there,  they  were  quickly  admitted.  The 
magistrate,  who  had  donned  his  proper  robes,  came 
to  them,  and  clasping  his  hands  which  protruded  from 
his  long  silken  sleeves,  bowed  ceremoniously  before 
the  old  doctor  whose  fame  had  gone  everywhere.  The 
doctor  told  him  that  cholera  had  been  discovered  in 
the  city,  that  the  little  hospital  would  be  unable  to  fight 
the  scourge  alone,  and  that  they  wanted  his  help. 

The  magistrate  was  very  polite. 

"  But  what  can  we  do?  "  he  said.  "  I  have  been  an 
official  for  nearly  thirty  years.  Over  and  over  again 
I  have  seen  cholera  come  and  there  seems  to  be  no 
way  to  prevent  it.  But  if  you  can  banish  it  tonight,  I 
will  make  you  a  god." 

The  doctor  smiled. 

"  Not  in  one  night,"  he  said.  "  It  means  a  fight  of 
months  and  of  years,  but  we  can  fight  it." 

The  magistrate  shook  his  head.  "  I  am  afraid  you 
are  over  sanguine,  sir,"  he  replied.  "  I  do  not  see  how 
anything  can  be  done  to  save  us  from  this  scourge." 

They  went  from  him  to  face  nights  and  days  that 
were  to  remain  forever  in  their  memories.  When 
called  in  the  early  stages  of  the  disease  they  were  able 
to  help,  but  they  heard  everywhere  the  beating  of 
gongs  and  saw  the  countless  processions  of  mourners 
clad  in  white  and  sack  cloth.  On  the  hills  were  human 
bundles  wrapped  in  matting,  the  bodies  of  beggars 
and  the  poor  outcasts.  Over  the  graves  of  the  rich, 
paper  houses  and  food  were  burned  and  every  equip- 
ment placed  there  by  their  friends  for  their  long 
journey. 


18     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Means,  Redmond,  Chu,  and  the  Chinese  doctor  went 
everywhere,  exhorting  the  tradesmen  to  cover  their 
food,  to  clean  up  the  open  sewers,  and  to  make  the  city 
more  habitable.  They  asked  the  magistrate  for  money 
to  aid  them  in  the  fight.  He  gave  them  five  hundred 
Mexican  dollars.  But  it  was  afterwards  learned  that 
he  also  gave  five  thousand  dollars  for  an  idol  proces- 
sion, in  which  long  lines  of  people  marched  through  the 
city  bearing  a  long  cloth  image  of  a  dragon  and  banners 
proclaiming  the  relief  that  would  come  to  them  if  they 
worshiped  this  dragon.  Down  through  the  streets, 
outside  of  the  city  walls,  and  over  the  hills  to  the  edge 
of  the  waters  of  the  canal  went  the  procession,  burning 
incense  and  tapers  costing  thousands  of  dollars.  The 
four  men  stood  watching.  Most  of  the  priests  looked 
straight  ahead,  but  some  of  those  carrying  banners 
jeered  at  the  onlookers. 

"  Ah,  we  know  what  will  save  us,"  they  cried. 

As  the  little  group  walked  back  to  the  mission  house 
that  night,  the  doctor  turned  to  Redmond. 

"  Paul,"  he  said,  "  you've  made  a  good  beginning 
here,  but  the  years  you  have  spent  have  only  given  you 
a  start.  You  can  now  see  something  of  the  struggle 
before  you,  for  centuries  of  hatred  and  superstition 
are  wrapped  up  in  what  you  have  to  combat.  Cholera 
is  not  the  only  thing;  that  comes  only  now  and  then, 
but  your  work  and  mine  will  not  be  completed  until 
this  and  a  thousand  other  diseases  and  scourges  are 
driven  from  this  land." 

The  next  morning  the  doctor  rode  away  across  the 
plains  and  hills  back  to  Nanking.  A  day  or  two  later 


A  FAR  LAND  19 

Redmond  stood  alone  in  the  center  of  one  of  those 
houses  which  the  forelopers  of  the  world  have  changed 
and  altered  to  meet  their  needs.  In  its  general  form 
the  room  was  Chinese.  The  tiles  of  the  roof  which 
ran  sloping  up  from  the  sides  to  the  center,  could  be 
seen  overhead,  and  no  attempt  had  been  made  to  cover 
them.  The  great  posts  which  supported  the  roof  stood 
out  in  the  walls  and  in  the  center  of  the  room.  The 
rough  walls  had  been  covered  with  paper  and  a  par- 
tition of  bamboo  matting  ran  through  the  room,  but 
the  paper  could  not  hide  the  crude  construction.  While 
the  room  was  of  native  birth  its  dress  was  foreign, 
and  everything  about  it,  from  the  pictures  to  the  fur- 
niture, suggested  America.  This  room  had  been  Red- 
mond's home  for  years. 

He  looked  about  the  room  and  a  merry  laugh  broke 
from  his  lips.  He  stood  before  the  picture  of  a  beau- 
tiful woman,  whose  features  were  both  delicate  and 
refined.  The  picture  was  of  a  woman  who  had  ap- 
parently never  known  the  hardships  of  life. 

"When  I  return,  she  will  be  with  me,"  he  said 
aloud.  "  But  how  different." 

For  a  moment  the  glad  look  left  his  eyes. 

"  How  different  all  this  is  from  that  to  which  she 
has  been  accustomed!  My  only  hope  is  that  it  will 
appeal  to  the  heroic  in  her,  and  that  she  will  overlook 
everything  in  the  happiness  of  our  being  together  once 
more." 

He  stood  with  parted  lips  before  the  picture  for  a 
moment,  and  then  began  to  talk  to  it. 

"  Little  girl,  the  years  have  been  long,  haven't  they? 


SO     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Too  long.  Back  yonder  in  the  college  days  we  dreamed 
that  we  would  follow  some  far  trail,  but  when  I  de- 
cided to  come  to  this  strange  land  to  follow  one  that 
you  knew  not  of,  you  couldn't  see  it,  could  you  ?  And 
then  when  the  pater  threw  me  over,  when  the  storm 
of  his  wrath  flashed  out  against  me  and  I  came  away 
disinherited  of  love  and  money,  you  thought  I  was 
crazy.  Now,  after  all  these  years,  you  are  coming. 
You  say  that  you  are  not  coming  to  stay,  but  to  win 
me  back.  Ah,  little  lady,  you  can't  win  me  back.  I 
am  here  to  stay,  and  once  you  see  this  life — once  you 
know  it — you  will  come  to  feel  about  it  as  I  do." 

In  the  midst  of  Redmond's  reverie,  Chu  pushed 
open  the  door.  The  smile  he  had  been  directing  to 
the  picture  he  now  transferred  to  the  tall  young 
Chinese  who  stood  before  him.  How  different  these 
two  sons  of  the  East  and  the  West !  Each  represented 
the  highest  type  of  his  civilization;  one  Occidental,  the 
other  Oriental,  one  Christian,  the  other  Confucian. 

The  young  Chinese  smiled  in  return. 

"  We  must  go,"  he  said.  "  The  people  are  ready 
to  say  good-by." 

Paul  stood  silent  before  his  friend  for  a  moment, 
and  then  threw  his  arm  around  him. 

"  Well,  Chu,"  he  said,  "  I  have  dreamed  a  good 
many  years  about  this  hour,  and  I  have  despaired  of 
its  coming,  but  it  is  here." 

"  Yes,  my  friend,  and  I  rejoice  with  you,"  returned 
the  Chinese,  who  had  been  both  friend  and  teacher 
during  the  long  years  of  his  service  in  that  land. 

"  But  to  the  son  of  the  East,"  this  friend  went  on, 


A  FAR  LAND  *1 

"  there  is  one  thing  lacking — the  approval  of  your 
father.  It  would  be  impossible  for  a  Chinese  to  go 
to  his  wedding  knowing  that  his  father  disapproved." 

"  Oh,  he  doesn't  disapprove  of  the  girl,  he  disap- 
proves of  me,"  replied  Paul.  "  That's  his  difficulty. 
But  why  discuss  that  again  ?  It  will  ever  be  so,  Chu, 
that  two  kinds  of  sons  are  disinherited;  the  wastrel, 
who  lives  a  riotous  life  and  brings  shame  upon  his 
father's  name,  and  the  one  who  dares  to  follow  his 
conscience  and  goes  into  unknown  fields  for  the  service 
of  Christ." 

Silence  lay  between  them;  that  silence  in  which  the 
deepest  thoughts  of  friendship  are  interchanged,  a 
language  surer  than  speech. 

They  went  from  the  room  through  a  quiet  court 
that  lay  before  the  gate  which  opened  into  the  street. 
Here  had  gathered  his  friends  and  a  few  curious  on- 
lookers, to  bid  farewell  to  this  young  foreigner  who 
had  lived  so  many  years  in  their  midst,  and  was  now 
going  to  Japan  to  be  married.  Smiling  and  bowing, 
they  parted  before  him,  and  men  carrying  long 
bamboo  poles,  around  which  strings  of  firecrackers 
had  been  wrapped  and  which  had  been  lighted  upon 
his  appearance,  walked  before  him.  Everywhere 
people  bowed  to  him,  and  reached  out  to  pat  him  on 
the  back.  Down  through  the  narrow  street  they  went, 
over  whose  slippery  and  uncertain  stones  he  had  once 
toiled  and  stumbled,  whose  doors,  from  which  kind 
faces  now  smiled,  had  then  seemed  forever  closed  to 
him.  They  turned  into  a  wider  cross  street,  and  pro- 
ceeded in  the  direction  of  the  canal.  Here  and  there 


22     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

a  merchant  sent  out  his  servant  with  a  pole  of  fire- 
crackers to  join  the  party,  and  amid  the  noise  and  the 
smiles,  he,  the  only  son  of  the  Occident  in  this  city 
of  fifty  thousand  people,  was  escorted  to  the  little 
Chinese  houseboat  on  which  he  was  to  sail  for  a  day 
or  two  to  the  great  river  where  he  would  take  the  boat 
which  would  bear  him  to  Shanghai. 

Partings  were  over.  The  ribbed  sail  of  the  Chinese 
boat  had  been  flung  to  the  wind.  The  old  boatman 
seated  in  the  stern,  was  handling  the  long  arm  of  the 
rudder,  and  the  journey  had  begun.  Paul  Redmond 
threw  himself  on  the  deck  to  dream  of  the  years  of 
misunderstanding,  the  final  capitulation,  and  of  happi- 
ness which  had  come  to  him  at  last,  but  to  dream,  as 
many  do,  dreams  that  were  untrue. 


II 

DREAMS  OF  DAYS  AGONE 

TOWARD  evening  the  house  boat  swung  to 
the  bank,  where  it  anchored  in  the  midst  of  a 
little  clump  of  willows,  and  three  or  four  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  boat  came  out  to  the  front  deck 
and  squatted  around  a  large  pail  of  steamed  rice.  Paul 
joined  the  boat  crew  in  their  evening  meal,  which  they 
ate  with  chopsticks  from  a  bowl  of  pork  and  greens. 
Children  from  a  farm  house  near  by,  attracted  by  the 
figure  of  a  foreigner,  stood  motionless  watching  this 
man  who  spoke  a  strange  language  and  came  from  a 
far  land.  When  the  supper  was  over  the  old  boat- 
man lifted  his  face  to  the  wind  for  a  moment. 

"  They  wished  us  a  fair  wind  home,"  he  said,  "  and 
the  wind  is  fair, — let  us  go." 

The  blunt  prow  of  the  boat  swung  away  from  the 
bank  into  the  narrow  canal,  and  the  journey  was  re- 
sumed. Paul  threw  himself  down  on  the  deck,  im- 
pressed with  the  unbroken  silence  which  hung  over 
all.  The  Chinese  on  the  boat  were  silent,  too,  and 
not  a  sound  could  be  heard  other  than  the  murmur  of 
the  water  as  it  rushed  under  the  prow  of  the  boat 
now  proceeding  rapidly  under  full  sail.  In  the  east 
the  evening  star  blazed  out  in  the  sky,  and  in  the 
west,  golden  orange  tints  foretold  a  bright  tomorrow. 
When  the  shades  of  night  rested  over  the  land,  hiding 

23 


34     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

the  banks  in  deep  shadow,  Paul  Redmond  turned  his 
face  to  the  star  in  the  east,  and  thought  of  the  home 
from  which  he  had  been  absent  so  many  years.  It 
did  not  seem  strange  to  him  that  he  should  be  traveling 
in  this  far  country.  He  was  the  scion  of  a  long  line 
of  ancestors,  who  had  been  trail-fighters  and  trail- 
makers.  They  had  cleared  paths  where  none  had  been 
before,  for  his  grandfather  had  been  one  of  those  who 
followed  the  trail  of  gold,  and  struck  it  rich. 
The  wandering  of  his  race  had  seemed  to  have  been 
brought  to  an  end;  the  extensive  had  become  intensive 
and  his  father  developed  and  increased  his  inheritance. 
The  West  was  forsaken,  and  he  brought  his  son  back 
to  the  home  of  his  forebears.  Paul's  education  had 
included  all  the  opportunities  that  wealth  could  com- 
mand. He  had  traveled  much.  His  father  thought 
the  son  would  follow  in  his  footsteps,  but  he  made  the 
mistake  that  countless  others  have  made,  for  every 
impulse  of  blood  and  heart  called  Paul  to  the  untried. 
He  wanted  the  joy  of  finding  that  of  which  men 
knew  little  or  nothing  and  proclaiming  it  to  the  world. 
He  had  thought  of  going  out  for  land  and  possessions, 
but  wealth  was  already  his.  He  believed  that  the  foot 
of  man  had  penetrated  nearly  every  spot  of  the  earth, 
until  one  day  the  last  trail,  which  lies  across  the  world, 
was  pointed  out  to  him.  This  trail  was  different  from 
the  one  of  which  he  had  dreamed.  Its  goal  was  the  win- 
ning of  men  from  sin  to  better  living  in  the  name  of 
Christ.  When  it  was  first  presented  to  him  he  had 
laughed  at  the  thought  of  becoming  a  missionary  to 
China;  but  somehow  it  had  gripped  his  imagination 


DREAMS  OF  DAYS  AGONE  *5 

and  his  heart,  and  for  many  weeks  he  fought  a  battle 
which  resulted  in  a  decision  to  go  out  to  China  as  a 
missionary. 

As  he  thought  of  this  tonight  under  the  quiet  of 
the  Oriental  sky  and  the  gathering  darkness,  his  face 
saddened,  for  he  remembered  his  father.  He  thought 
of  him  tenderly.  His  mother  had  died  when  he  was 
but  a  lad  of  ten,  and  his  father  had  not  married  again. 
He  had  been  as  affectionate  and  tender  as  a  woman 
in  his  relation  to  those  he  loved,  but  few  knew  of  this 
side  of  his  nature,  for  he  was  ruthless  in  the  street, 
and  his  will  worked  unbridled  in  the  business  world. 

When  Paul  had  decided  to  go  out  as  a  missionary 
to  China  he  had  thought  much  of  his  mother,  for  her 
memory  was  one  of  the  most  precious  in  his  life.  She 
had  taught  him  the  fundamentals  of  religion,  and  he 
remembered  that  her  prayer  had  always  been  that  he 
might  serve  in  the  world.  When  he  went  to  Robert 
Redmond  and  told  him  he  had  decided  upon  this 
course,  the  cordiality  of  the  father  disappeared  and 
the  spirit  of  the  man  of  the  street  returned.  Paul 
remembered  his  father  had  told  him  that  it  was  sheer 
madness  for  a  Redmond  to  think  of  following  a 
fanatical  religious  career  and  he  must  give  up  all 
thought  of  it.  He  remembered,  too,  the  tenderness 
that  crept  into  the  old  man's  face  when  he  told  him 
how,  during  the  years  of  Paul's  youth,  he  had  dreamed 
of  the  days  when  they  would  be  associated  in  business. 
But  he  had  stood  firm,  and  reminded  his  father  that 
he  had  also  exhorted  him  to  be  faithful  to  the  church, 
at  which  his  father  had  laughed  scornfully. 


26     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  Every  business  man  should  have  a  church  rela- 
tionship," he  said,  "  but  I  had  no  thought  of  your 
undertaking  a  service  of  this  sort." 

Then  he  remembered  when  his  father  had  ceased 
to  talk  to  him  as  a  father  and  had  given  him  his 
unyielding  answer. 

"  My  decision  is  final,"  he  had  thundered,  "  if  you 
go,  you  go,  not  as  my  son,  but  as  a  stranger." 

As  Paul  thought  of  this  interview  he  raised  himself 
from  the  deck  and  turned  his  face  to  the  cool  wind. 
He  had  been  calm.  "  I  have  no  desire  to  plead  for 
myself,"  he  had  replied,  "  but  at  this  moment  I  am 
no  less  a  Redmond  than  you  are.  I  feel  that  I  am 
true,  not  only  to  the  history  of  our  race  but  to  the 
traditions  of  our  family.  You  have  given  yourself  in 
a  great  measure  to  material  things,  and  it  is  necessary 
that  some  generation  of  every  family  should  devote 
itself  to  the  material,  but  the  qualities  that  make  it 
possible  for  a  man  to  succeed  in  that  way  are  in  a 
measure  the  same  qualities  that  some  one  of  those 
who  come  after  him  must  return  to  the  spiritual  or  the 
race  will  be  destroyed.  Disinherit  me  if  you  will, 
but  your  attributes  will  live  on  and  manifest  themselves 
to  the  world." 

His  father  had  listened  silently,  then  turned  away, 
and  had  never  spoken  or  written  to  him  again.  Yet 
Paul  had  written  every  week,  but  no  word  had  come 
from  his  father  during  many  silent  years. 

Then  his  mind  ran  on  to  events  which  followed 
quickly  upon  his  disinheritance.  He  went  at  once  to 
the  girl  to  whom  he  had  been  betrothed.  Madeline 


DREAMS  OF  DAYS  AGONE  27 

Leonard  was  a  girl  in  whom  ancestry,  environment 
and  training  had  wrought  much,  and  to  these  things 
had  been  added  the  test  of  sorrow,  without  which  a 
woman  is  incomplete.  She  was  a  thorough  American 
girl,  beautiful,  and  of  charming  personality.  Her  an- 
cestry, unlike  that  of  Paul's,  had  always  lived  beside 
the  trail,  and  sought  the  gentler  walks  of  life.  When 
he  reached  his  final  decision  and  the  wrath  of  his 
father  had  hurled  him  from  his  own,  he  had  dreaded 
to  go  to  this  beautiful  girl.  He  knew  that  she  was 
religious,  but  he  also  knew  that  the  new  and  untried 
held  unspeakable  terrors  for  her.  So  he  went  to  her 
tenderly,  expecting  to  win  her  to  this  new  trail  which 
had  crossed  his  vision  and  his  heart. 

His  face  flushed  as  he  stood  looking  up  at  the  stars 
thinking  of  that  night  when  he  told  Madeline  Leonard 
that  he  was  going  to  be  a  missionary.  How  she  had 
laughed  and  how  she  had  ridiculed  him  and  the  mis- 
sionaries she  had  known !  When  she  realized  that  he 
was  in  earnest  and  determined  to  go  she  had  tried 
with  all  the  art  of  a  woman  to  win  him  back,  but  he 
had  remained  true  to  his  vision.  He  tried  to  remem- 
ber that  her  training  had  prepared  her  only  for  local 
and  limited  service.  The  surroundings  which  had 
made  her  the  dainty  and  delicate  soul  which  he  loved, 
had  also  instilled  a  great  fear  for  a  land  so  strange  and 
distant  as  China.  But  when  it  came  to  the  final  test 
her  will  had  been  as  strong  as  his  own,  for  she  felt 
that  she  was  called  upon  to  save  him  from  himself, 
and  though  she  did  not  want  him  to  seek  wealth,  she 
said,  and  wanted  him  to  be  useful,  yet  she  considered 


28     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

the  idea  of  his  going  to  China  as  a  species  of  insanity. 
She  had  hoped  against  hope  that  his  love  for  her  would 
change  his  decision  and  that  he  would  yield,  but  she 
had  dreaded  the  effect  upon  him  if  he  did.  He  had 
not  realized  the  tragedy  of  the  hours  which  preceded 
his  coming,  for  as  he  remembered  Madeline's  face 
there  was  no  trace  of  sorrow  upon  it.  The  heart  of 
love  can  never  know  what  sorrow  it  causes  when  it 
calls  upon  a  woman  to  decide  a  great  question. 

When  Paul  looked  into  her  face  he  saw  a  determi- 
nation such  as  he  had  never  seen  there  before.  To- 
night, as  he  lay  on  the  deck  of  the  little  boat,  he  remem- 
bered the  feeling  that  had  come  over  him  when  he 
knew  that  her  decision  had  been  reached  and  the  last 
words  that  he  had  said  that  night  were  not  spoken 
under  the  stress  of  tears,  but  in  the  calmness  of  a  great 
love. 

They  had  stood  facing  each  other  where  the  trail 
divides.  In  the  heart  of  one  was  a  great  conviction 
that  was  driving  him  against  his  love, — against  the 
will  of  his  family — but  which  the  whispering  blood 
of  his  ancestors  told  him  was  right.  He  was  going 
out  as  a  pioneer.  He  had  studied  carefully  the  trails 
that  cross  the  world — the  trails  of  gold,  fame,  pleasure 
and  passion.  But  the  one  which  he  alone  could  travel, 
now  that  he  had  seen  it  as  it  lay  clear  and  distinct 
across  a  nation's  life — held  him.  He  prayed  that  the 
vision  might  never  have  come  to  him,  but  when  a 
vision  is  once  given  to  a  strong  man  there  is  no  taking 
it  away.  In  the  heart  of  the  other  was  a  sincere  feeling 
that  she  was  not  fitted  for  the  task  which  her  lover 


DREAMS  OF  DAYS  AGONE  39 

asked  her  to  share.  Time  and  again  he  had  almost 
convinced  her  that  she  ought  to  follow  him,  but  old 
conceptions  and  ideals  ruled.  There  were  no  angry 
words  spoken  between  them;  both  were  smiling,  but 
with  the  smile  which  betokens  the  greatest  sorrow. 
They  had  separated,  she  saying  to  him :  "  When  this 
fancy  shall  have  passed,  you  will  find  me  waiting." 

"  I  shall  travel  my  trail  alone,"  he  had  answered, 
"hoping  and  praying  that  some  day  in  this  struggle 
for  a  real  empire,  in  this  work  of  real  reclamation,  in 
this  only  real  trail  that  lies  across  the  world,  you  may 
come  with  me  and  be  my  comrade." 

Then  he  remembered  the  lonely  years.  He  recalled 
the  long  correspondence,  the  story  she  had  told  him 
of  another  man  who  had  sought  to  woo  her,  the  ques- 
tion that  she  had  finally  asked  as  to  whether  she  should 
wait  or  not  and  then  her  decision  to  come  with  the 
frank  avowal  that  she  was  going  to  win  him  back. 
At  first  his  father  had  opposed  her  coming,  but  finally 
withheld  his  opposition  on  the  ground  that  she  might 
win  him  back  to  America  and  to  him.  Paul  had  tried 
to  make  it  plain  to  her  that  he  never  would  return  to 
America,  but  tonight  her  question  returned  again  and 
again. 

"  Ought  I  to  marry  her  when  she  believes  that  she 
will  win  me  back?  "  he  asked  himself. 

He  knew  that  a  voice,  such  as  had  come  to  knights 
of  old  who  rode  out  for  kings,  was  calling  to  him — 
the  voice  that  had  ordered  world  conquest  was  com- 
manding him. 

"  Your  forebears  have  gone  out  to  battle,"  the  voice 


30  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

urged.  "  They  have  sought  gold,  and  have  broken  the 
forest  for  land  and  for  home.  Can  anything  turn  you 
back  from  the  breaking  of  a  path  that  has  been  blocked 
by  superstition,  pride  and  ignorance,  so  that  it  will  be 
possible  for  the  best  and  highest  to  enter  the  hearts 
of  men  instead  of  greed  and  selfishness  ? " 

He  knew  that  nothing  would  ever  turn  him  from 
this  path,  but  would  he  be  able  to  win  to  this  field  the 
beautiful  girl  toward  whom  the  winds  were  carrying 
him? 

He  was  startled  from  his  reverie  by  the  clatter  of 
the  bamboo  ribs  of  the  sail  which  had  been  loosened. 
The  boat  turned  into  the  bank  for  the  night,  and  with 
a  cheery  call  that  he  would  meet  the  boatman  on  the 
morrow  he  threw  his  roll  of  bedding  on  the  little  cabin 
floor  and  threw  himself  down  to  sleep. 


Ill 

THE  ACCIDENT   OF   ACQUAINTANCE 

PAUL  REDMOND'S  journey  to  the  Yangtse 
River  was  over,  and  the  little  house  boat  had 
fought  its  way  against  the  swift  flowing  current 
of  the  earth-laden  river,  up  the  four  miles  between  its 
mouth  and  the  hulks  which  lay  off  of  Wuhu.  Every- 
thing about  the  steamer  suggested  the  antiquity  of 
China.  Although  some  of  the  lines  had  put  on  new 
boats,  the  one  on  which  Paul  was  about  to  sail  had 
carried  the  cargo  of  that  great  river  for  many  years. 
He  smiled  as  he  looked  toward  the  bridge  and  recog- 
nized Captain  Jenkins,  with  whom  he  had  once  trav- 
eled. 

The  old  man  was  calling  out  to  the  coolies  in  Eng- 
lish, but  using  a  vocabulary  of  his  own.  While  bor- 
dering on  profanity  it  was  so  picturesque  that  those 
who  were  usually  shocked  by  such  language  laughed 
instead.  He  came  down  the  deck  clad  in  white,  his 
face  sunburned  and  wrinkled.  By  his  sharp  features 
and  high  nasal  voice  one  knew  instantly  that  he  was 
a  Yankee  and  came  but  from  one  place  on  earth — the 
State  of  Maine. 

Paul  saw  little  of  the  captain  that  day,  though  he 
heard  him  giving  orders  when  the  ship  started.  He 
found  himself  interested  in  his  fellow  passengers,  for 
as  on  all  steamers  in  the  East,  the  passenger  list  was 

81 


32     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

made  up  of  travelers  from  nearly  every  land.  The  only 
other  American  whom  Paul  noticed  was  a  tall  young 
woman  whose  face,  in  spite  of  a  saddened  expression, 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  he  had  ever  seen.  She 
remained  apart,  and  he  wondered  who  she  was.  He 
tried  to  rest  and  decided  to  retire  early.  As  the  ship 
glided  down  the  yellow,  muddy  waters  of  the  great 
Yangtse  he  fell  asleep.  In  the  early  hours  of  the 
morning  he  was  awakened  by  a  great  commotion/ 
Whistles  were  blowing  an  alarm,  bells  were  sounding, 
and  he  heard  the  cry  of  voices,  both  European  and 
Chinese.  Some  expressed  consternation  and  fear, 
others  commanded.  He  dressed  hurriedly  and  rushed 
to  the  deck  to  find  it  swarming  with  men  and  women, 
mostly  Chinese,  who  were  crying  out  in  utter  fear. 
From  a  passing  officer  he  heard  the  word  "  fire  "  and  in 
the  early  light  of  the  morning  he  saw  that  they  were  not 
far  from  the  shore,  which  seemed  to  stretch  out  as  a 
marsh  into  the  mist  and  dawning  light.  He  went  quickly 
to  his  cabin,  and,  gathering  together  a  few  things  that 
were  valuable  to  him,  returned  to  the  deck.  Smoke 
was  rising  from  various  parts  of  the  ship,  and  he  saw 
that  the  Chinese  and  foreign  officers  were  working 
together  in  their  attempts  to  quench  the  fire,  which 
was  steadily  gaining,  the  cargo  of  native  oils  feeding 
the  flames.  The  captain  on  the  bridge  was  control- 
ing  every  move.  He  seemed  calm  amid  the  turmoil, 
and  each  command  he  gave  helped  to  direct  and  clear 
the  situation.  A  few  boats  and  rafts  on  the  steamer 
were  quickly  launched,  but  the  Chinese  rushed  to 
them  and  rapidly  filled  them,  and  they  were  pushed 


THE  ACCIDENT  OF  ACQUAINTANCE     33 

off  into  the  swift  currents  and  eddies  of  the  river  and 
carried  far  below.  Junks  appeared  from  the  mist  and 
took  on  board  some  of  the  passengers,  for  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  ship  would  soon  be  destroyed  and  car- 
ried to  the  bottom. 

Paul  remembered  the  young  woman  whom  he  had 
noticed  the  first  day,  and  after  searching  for  her,  found 
her  standing  in  one  of  the  darkest  parts  of  the  ship. 
There  were  traces  of  fear  in  her  face,  though  the 
general  expression  was  that  of  resignation  and  even 
contentment. 

"  You  must  go  at  once,"  he  said. 

She  turned  upon  him  as  if  resenting  the  intrusion. 

"  I  have  chosen  to  stay,"  she  replied.  "  Why  are 
you  here?  You  are  not  one  of  the  ship's  officers. 
They  think  I  have  gone." 

The  only  light  that  came  to  them  was  from  the  un- 
steady glow  of  the  burning  vessel. 

"  I  thought  that  you  were  insane,"  he  said  quietly, 
"  but  now  I  see  that  you  have  chosen  to  die,  and  that 
is  something  no  one  has  a  right  to  choose.  I  com- 
mand you  to  live  while  there  is  still  a  chance." 

A  smile  played  over  the  woman's  face  for  a  brief 
moment. 

"  Command  ?  Ah,  that  is  the  way  of  men.  They 
always  command,  but  sometimes  women  choose,"  she 
sneered. 

Paul  saw  that  a  junk  was  about  to  be  pushed  off,  so 
unexpectedly  and  without  giving  her  the  least  warn- 
ing, he  grasped  her  by  the  hands  and  took  her  to  the 
edge  of  the  boat  where  an  officer  stood,  and  together 


34     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

they  lowered  her  into  the  jurik,  which  pushed  off  into 
the  mist. 

The  officer  turned  to  him.  "  Don't  you  want  to  go 
ashore?"  he  asked. 

Paul  answered  that  he  preferred  to  stay  until  the 
officers  should  leave  the  ship.  The  other  looked  into 
his  eyes  and  said,  "  That's  the  spirit !  I  don't  think 
we'll  need  you,  but  we  may." 

A  last  boat  had  been  left  for  the  officers,  but  a  num- 
ber of  Chinese  firemen  took  possession  of  it,  and  the 
word  to  leave  the  ship  was  given.  Throwing  aside 
shoes  and  garments  the  captain  and  officers  prepared 
to  swim  ashore.  When  the  captain  saw  that  one  pas- 
senger was  still  aboard,  he  swore  violently  and  de- 
manded why  Paul  had  not  gone  with  others  in  the  boat. 
He  replied  again  that  he  had  preferred  to  wait  for  he 
was  a  good  swimmer  and  had  no  fear. 

"  You  may  have  been  able  to  swim  some  of  those 
ponds  of  yours  back  in  the  East,  but  your  brain  is 
wave-scum  if  you  think  you  know  this  river.  It  pulls 
and  pounds  you  as  does  no  water  on  earth." 

They  went  over  the  side  of  the  burning  boat  just 
before  it  turned  and  sank  into  the  flood-waters  of  the 
Yangtse.  Redmond  was  swimming  below  the  cap- 
tain, who  had  gone  into  the  river  above  him.  As  the 
boat  sank  the  debris  fell  about  him  and  he  saw  that 
the  captain  had  been  struck  by  some  of  the  falling 
timbers,  and  the  body,  turning  over  and  over  in  the 
current,  floated  towards  him.  Steadying  himself  he 
grasped  the  captain  and  called  to  one  of  the  officers 
who  had  drifted  towards  him,  but  could  not  make  him- 


THE  ACCIDENT  OF  ACQUAINTANCE     35 

self  heard.  Holding  on  to  the  unconscious  man  he 
fought  such  a  battle  as  he  had  never  before  waged 
in  sea,  lake  or  river.  The  current  tore,  beat  and 
pounded  both  him  and  his  charge.  Slowly,  however, 
he  made  his  way  to  the  shore,  and,  at  last,  staggering 
and  faint,  was  able  to  pull  the  captain  through  the 
reeds  and  mud  to  a  place  on  the  land.  The  passengers 
were  swarming  up  and  down  the  shore  and  he  was 
surrounded  by  the  Chinese.  At  last  one  of  the  Eng- 
lish officers  came  to  him  as  he  worked  over  the  uncon- 
scious form.  Slowly  the  captain  regained  conscious- 
ness, and,  looking  about  him,  asked  what  had  hap- 
pened. 

"  Jenkins,"  the  officer  explained,  "  if  this  young 
man  whom  you  cursed  had  not  waited  you  would 
have  gone  to  your  last  anchorage." 

The  old  man  staggered  to  his  feet  and  reached  out 
his  hand  to  Redmond. 

"  You  had  a  codfish's  brain  not  to  have  gone,"  he 
said  gruffly,  "  but,  by  gad,  I  am  grateful  that  you 
stayed." 

As  he  reached  out  his  hand  Paul  realized  that  he  was 
shaking  that  of  a  man  who  had  seen  life  under  two 
civilizations.  The  old  man  looked  into  his  face. 

"  Young  man,  what  might  be  your  business  ?  " 

"  I  am  a  missionary,"  was  the  simple  answer. 

The  captain  looked  at  him  in  wonder  and  there  was 
a  queer  expression  on  his  face. 

"  Well,  in  the  name  of  a  dead  whale's  blubber,  you 
don't  say  so." 

Paul  saw  very  little  of  the  captain  that  day,  though 


36     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

he  helped  to  carry  out  his  orders  in  caring  for  the  pas- 
sengers and  worked  as  one  of  the  ship's  officers.  A 
down-river  steamer  took  them  on  board  and  they 
proceeded  to  Shanghai. 

Several  times  that  day  he  saw  the  girl  whom  he 
had  rescued.  She  had  looked  disdainfully  upon  him 
at  first,  but  every  time  he  came  in  touch  with  her  he 
made  some  pleasant  remark.  He  had  learned  from  the 
captain  that  she  was  an  outcast  from  the  world's 
society,  and  this,  he  supposed,  was  the  explanation 
of  her  desire  to  end  her  life,  and  it  had  made  him  only 
more  eager  to  help  her. 

The  boat  had  left  the  Yangste  and  had  swung  into 
the  Wu  Sung  River  when  she  came  hesitatingly  to 
him. 

"  I  could  not  have  you  go  without  speaking  to  you," 
she  said. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  talk  to  you  and  to  be  of  any 
service  if  I  may,"  he  returned. 

"  My  name  is  Catherine  Williams.  You  must  know 
that,  of  course,  I  want  to  thank  you  for  saving  my  life. 
I  suppose  you  have  heard  who  I  am,  so  you  will  know 
it  was  not  my  life  you  saved,  for  that  is  ruined." 

For  a  moment  her  frank  statement  left  him  speech- 
less. 

"  Life  is  the  greatest  thing  on  earth,"  he  finally  said, 
"  no  matter  what  our  past  has  been.  Do  you  see 
that  light  in  the  east?  It  tells  of  the  future  of  today 
and  tomorrow,  not  of  yesterday." 

Thoughtfully  she  turned  to  him. 

"  Yes,  that  is  true  for  men,  but  for  a  woman  with 


THE  ACCIDENT  OF  ACQUAINTANCE     37 

a  yesterday  there  is  no  tomorrow.  I  am  not  going  to 
tell  you  of  my  past  more  than  to  say  that  the  scar  is 
all  that  is  left.  The  action  of  yesterday  will  not  be 
carried  into  today  or  tomorrow." 

"  Then  why  do  you  despair  ?  " 

"  I  know  what  a  man  such  as  you  cannot  know.  I 
know  that  I  have  gone  so  far  that  all  relationships  are 
severed  and  I  can  never  return.  For  a  man  there  are 
other  paths,  for  a  woman  there  are  none.  I  have  been 
fighting  for  months  to  cut  the  cords  that  have  bound 
me  to  the  old  life.  I  believe  I  have  succeeded,  but 
who  knows  when  the  tentacles  shall  reach  out  and 
pull  me  back.  No  one  can  help  me;  please  don't  try." 

"I  will  not  try  if  you  ask 'me  not  to,  but  I  want 
you  to  know  that  if  you  go  on  the  fault  will  be  yours. 
Let  me  say  that  I  hope  our  paths  may  cross  again,  for 
I  am  in  this  land  to  be  a  friend  to  those  who  need 
friends.  If  in  the  coming  days  I  can  be  your  friend 
I  shall  be  honored  by  the  fact  that  you  believe  in  me 
enough  to  call  upon  me." 

She  smiled  her  thanks  and  quickly  left  him. 

In  the  years  that  followed  he  wondered  if  he  would 
have  promised  friendship  to  this  waif  of  the  world 
if  he  had  realized  what  it  was  to  cost  him. 


IV 

FATE'S   HAND 

A  DAY  or  two  later  Paul  took  the  little  launch 
that  ran  between  the  bund  at  Shanghai  and  the 
great  steamers  that  wait  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  for  the  passengers  they  bring.  The  long  days 
of  his  journey  were  filled  with  dreams  and  he  was 
not  interested  in  his  fellow  passengers,  for  he  wanted 
to  be  left  alone.  As  the  ship  turned  its  prow  to  the 
sea  for  the  long  journey  eastward,  Paul  stood  looking 
back  at  the  receding  shores  thinking  of  the  years  he 
had  spent  there.  He  felt  a  touch  on  his  arm  and  was 
amazed  when  he  turned  and  looked  into  the  face  of 
Catherine  Williams,  the  girl  whom  he  had  rescued  on 
the  river  steamer.  Again  this  bit  of  driftwood  of  the 
world  was  crossing  his  course. 

"  I  hope  you  won't  mind  my  speaking  to  you,"  she 
said. 

"  Of  course  I  do  not  mind,"  he  answered.  "  I  have 
been  wondering  how  you  have  been  this  last  day  or 
two,  and  I  have  been  hoping  that  some  time  I  might 
in  some  way  change  that  hopeless  philosophy  which 
you  uttered  the  other  day." 

He  had  not  realized  how  beautiful  she  was,  but  now 
as  she  lifted  her  face  to  his  he  saw  a  strangely  ap- 
pealing beauty,  one  on  which  sorrow  and  sin  had  left 
their  marks.  It  was  not  a  face  that  revealed  spiritual 

88 


FATE'S  HAND  39 

motives,  but  rather  one  that  suggested  strength  and 
courage. 

"  Yes,  I  have  drifted  and  fought.  I  wrote  you  a 
letter  yesterday  which  I  have  not  yet  mailed,  for  I 
wanted  you  to  understand  that  I  have  given  up  the  old 
life.  You  know  that  I  wanted  to  die  the  other  day. 
Well,  before  I'll  go  back  to  the  old  life  again  the  waters 
out  there  shall  cover  me.  But  if  I  live  you  can  believe 
that  no  matter  what  you  hear  of  me  I  am  at  least 
worthy  of  your  friendship  as  far  as  today  and  tomor- 
row are  concerned.  But  we  must  not  talk  longer," 
she  said,  and  a  cloud  came  over  her  face.  "  I  told  you 
the  other  day  that  I  did  not  know  when  the  tentacles 
of  the  past  would  reach  out  and  try  to  pull  me  back. 
There  is  a  man  on  this  ship  with  an  awful  companion 
of  his  who  has  followed  me  half  around  the  world. 
I  am  afraid  that  if  he  saw  me  talking  to  you  " — she 
hesitated  for  a  moment  and  then  shrugged  her  shoul- 
ders after  the  manner  of  the  East — "  well,  it  would 
not  be  safe  for  either  of  us." 

Paul  was  glad  to  have  this  added  word  with  her, 
glad  that  she  had  taken  a  stand  for  the  highest  and 
best.  He  was  happy  in  the  thought  that  he  had  been 
instrumental  in  holding  her  back  from  death. 

That  night,  as  he  was  walking  down  the  deck,  he 
heard  angry  tones  of  men's  voices.  He  was  passing 
on  when  he  heard  another  voice  that  held  him,  for  it 
was  that  of  Catherine  Williams.  He  remembered  the 
promise  he  had  made  to  her  that  if  she  ever  needed  a 
friend  he  would  be  glad  to  be  that  one,  so  he  listened 
again.  This  time  he  recognized  the  other  voice  as 


40     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

that  of  the  man  whom  she  had  pointed  out  to  him  as 
the  one  who  had  followed  her  half  around  the  world. 
She  was  telling  the  two  men  that  she  had  left  the  old 
life — had  forsaken  it  forever.  They  sneered  at  her, 
held  former  promises  over  her,  threatened  to  trace  her 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  to  blacken  her  name,  no  mat- 
ter what  she  did.  They  demanded  that  she  yield,  and 
at  once.  As  he  stood  there  listening,  Paul  marveled 
at  the  quietness  of  the  girl's  reply,  and  the  courage  that 
her  tones  revealed. 

"  You  can  follow  me  where  you  will  and  say  what 
you  wish,"  she  said.  "  I  know  I  have  a  blot  on  my 
life  which  can  never  be  erased,  but  I  know  also  that  I 
alone  am  responsible  for  my  actions,  and  that  no  mat- 
ter what  men  may  think  of  me,  I  am  now  going  to  do 
right.  I  am  not  afraid  of  you  for  you  are  miserable 
cowards  who  can  threaten  but  are  afraid  to  touch  me. 
Although  your  kind  has  always  driven  me  in  the  past, 
I  am  strong  now." 

She  had  hardly  finished  when  Paul  was  startled  to 
hear  the  sound  of  a  blow  and  then  sounds  of  an  evi- 
dent struggle.  He  heard  her  call  for  help  in  a  stran- 
gled, choking  voice,  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation 
he  sprang  towards  them.  In  the  dim  light  that  filtered 
through  the  blackness,  he  saw  that  both  men  were  try- 
ing to  overpower  her.  Coming  up  from  behind  he 
seized  one  of  them  and  threw  him  with  force  against 
the  railing  of  the  ship.  At  this  sound,  his  companion, 
who  was  holding  the  girl,  looked  up.  When  he  saw 
that  a  man  had  come  to  her  rescue  he  released  the  girl, 
and,  as  he  sprang  forward,  pulled  a  revolver  from  his 


FATE'S  HAND  41 

pocket.  But  Paul  was  too  quick  for  him  and  knocked 
it  from  his  hand. 

"  You  fiend,"  he  cried,  "  I  heard  what  you  have 
been  saying  and  now  you  must  take  your  medicine." 

It  was  a  desperate  fight.  One  had  known  only  the 
brawls  of  the  brothel;  while  the  other  possessed  a  clean 
body  and  the  training  of  an  athlete.  They  clenched 
each  other  for  a  moment  and  then  the  ruffian  sought 
to  throw  Paul  against  the  railing.  While  he  was  strug- 
gling to  free  himself  he  received  a  blow  which  dazed 
him  for  a  moment,  but  he  still  fought  on  in  the  dark- 
ness. The  other  man,  recovering  from  his  fall,  tried 
to  creep  upon  him  from  the  rear,  but  the  girl  had  taken 
the  revolver  when  it  fell  from  the  other's  grasp  and 
was  now  holding  it  full  upon  him.  She  wanted 
Paul  to  win,  but  if  he  did  not  win  she  was  determined 
that  she  herself  would  end  the  fight. 

The  noise  of  the  battle  reached  the  captain's  bridge 
and  just  as  the  first  officer  reached  them,  Paul,  with  a 
mighty  effort,  threw  his  adversary  from  him,  and, 
swinging  his  left  arm,  struck  him  a  terrible  blow  on 
the  point  of  the  chin  and  brought  him  unconscious 
to  the  deck.  Ignoring  everyone  else,  Paul  turned  to 
the  girl  and  asked:  "  Are  you  all  right?  " 

She  stood  silent  for  a  moment,  trembling  from  head 
to  foot,  not  as  a  result  alone  of  what  she  had  gone 
through,  but  in  the  realization  that  a  good  man  had 
been  fighting  for  her.  Unconscious  of  what  she  was 
doing,  and  using  the  only  expression  of  thankfulness 
that  her  life  had  taught  her,  she  threw  her  arms  around 
Paul  for  a  moment,  saying :  "  Oh,  yes,  I'm  all  right" 


42      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

And  then,  in  the  gratitude  of  her  heart,  she  impul- 
sively kissed  him. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this?  "  demanded  the 
first  officer.  In  a  few  brief  words  Paul  told  the  story 
which  the  girl  corroborated;  but  the  officer  lifted  his 
eyebrows  and  shrugged  his  shoulders,  for  he  had  seen 
the  girl's  kiss  and  was  skeptical. 

The  gossip  of  the  ship  ran  wild,  and  no  man  can 
know  the  gossip  of  the  East  unless  he  has  felt  its  fangs. 
"  Why  should  this  woman  kiss  a  missionary  ?  Why 
should  he  defend  her  in  a  deck  fight,  and  what  busi- 
ness was  it  of  his  that  these  men  of  her  kind  had  at- 
tacked her?  They  owned  her  and  why  should  he 
meddle  in  her  affairs  ?  " 

When  he  heard  the  slander  he  put  it  aside  as  un- 
worthy of  consideration.  He  regretted  that  there  were 
marks  of  the  battle  on  his  face,  and  most  of  all  that 
he  must  go  to  Madeline  with  these  scars. 

"  But  when  I  tell  her  about  it,"  he  thought,  "  I  am 
sure  she  will  agree  that  they  are  scars  of  honor.  I 
know  she  will  be  glad  that  I  have  fought  for  this  girl, 
and  perhaps  together  we  will  find  a  way  to  help  her." 

The  passengers  kept  apart  from  him,  but  he  did  not 
realize  the  significance  of  this.  He  thought  that  per- 
haps this  was  the  manner  of  travelers  in  the  East,  and 
he  knew  that  a  few  days  usually  pass  before  ship  pas- 
sengers seek  acquaintances.  He  was  glad  to  be  alone 
and  it  did  not  worry  him,  but  finally  doubt  crept  into 
his  mind. 

"  I  wonder  if  this  is  a  plot,"  he  thought.  "  I  wonder 
if  this  girl  is  really  trying  to  harm  me?  " 


FATE'S  HAND  43 

But  that  night  when  the  boat  landed,  he  knew  that 
this  was  not  true,  for  she  came  to  him  when  they 
could  be  alone. 

"Oh,  what  have  I  done?"  she  asked  tremulously. 
"  I've  heard  the  things  people  are  saying.  In  a  moment 
of  excitement  I'm  afraid  I  did  something  that  will 
bring  censure  upon  you  and  I  am  dreadfully  afraid  it 
is  going  to  harm  you." 

He  smiled  into  her  troubled  face. 

"  You  need  not  worry.  Everything  will  be  all  right, 
for  I  am  going  from  this  ship  to  my  wedding.  The 
only  thing  I  am  going  to  exact  from  you  is  that  you 
shall  now  live  a  straight,  clean  life.  I  am  glad  that  I 
saved  you;  and  if  ever  you  need  a  friend,  I  shall  be 
glad  to  be  that  friend." 

"  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  make  a  promise  to  you  like 
that,"  she  said,  "  for  I  will  worship  you  all  the  days 
of  my  life." 

Paul  left  the  ship  realizing  that  he  had  whipped  two 
of  the  worst  characters  on  earth.  In  a  physical  fight 
the  men  were  what  the  girl  had  called  them — 
miserable  cowards.  They  had  spread  the  scandal  over 
the  ship,  in  the  smoking  room  and  everywhere,  and 
they  had  put  suspicion  into  the  minds  of  those  who 
heard  the  story. 

"  Now  we  have  him,"  they  said.  "  What  matters 
his  wealth  or  his  position;  they  can't  protect  him  now. 
This  woman  who  claims  his  friendship  has  done  the 
very  thing  that  will  help  us  to  accomplish  our  end 
very  quickly." 

They  rejoiced  in  what  they  believed  to  be  a  great 


44     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

victory,  even  though  they  had  received  a  sound  thrash- 
ing. 

Back  in  the  city  of  Fou  Cheo  were  other  enemies 
who  lived  in  dirty  temples  and  who  had  sought  every 
manner  of  excuse  to  do  something  that  would  blacken 
the  life  of  this  man  who  was  giving  himself  so  un- 
reservedly to  their  land.  Eventually  this  word  was  to 
reach  those  dirty  temples  and  warrens  of  the  opium 
fiends;  it  was  to  run  in  other  directions,  and  was  to 
work  the  havoc  of  destiny. 


V 
THE  TEST 

PAUL  REDMOND  journeyed  across  Japan  with 
a  song  in  his  heart.  He  found  that  Madeline's 
ship  had  arrived  nearly  two  days  ahead  of  sched- 
uled time,  and  he  hurried  to  Yokohoma  on  a  fast  train. 
He  was  expectant  and  eager  to  meet  her.  The  dreams 
of  the  years  were  about  to  be  fulfilled,  and  the  long 
time  of  waiting  seemed  unworthy  of  remembrance. 
He  was  going  to  meet  Madeline !  He  hardly  realized 
that  he  was  to  meet  her  in  another  land  and  under 
different  conditions.  He  had  always  known  that  his 
love  for  her  was  the  biggest  thing  in  his  life,  but  now 
that  all  barriers  were  removed,  it  knew  no  bounds. 
The  slow-moving  Japanese  servant  who  parted  the  cur- 
tains into  the  drawing  room  irritated  him.  Madeline 
was  waiting  for  him.  With  the  quickness  of  a  man  of 
action  he  gathered  her  into  his  arms.  She  clasped  her 
hands  about  his  neck. 

"  Oh,  Paul,  I  love  you,  in  spite  of  it  all,"  she  sobbed. 
At  such  a  strange  greeting,  he  looked  at  her,  as- 
tonished, and,  holding  her  from  him,  saw  that  she 
was  crying. 

"  Why,  Madeline,  what  is  the  matter  ?  What  is 
wrong,  sweetheart,  on  this  day  that  you  are  to  become 
my  wife?  " 

45 


46     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Her  hand  wandering  unconsciously  over  his  face 
touched  the  bruises  which  the  fight  had  left. 

"  Oh,  Paul,"  she  said  brokenly,  "  it  is  true.  These 
awful  things  I  have  heard  are  true.  I  denied  them. 
Oh,  I  didn't  know  a  woman  could  ever  suffer  so. 
You  come  to  me  with  the  very  scars  of  the  fight  on 
your  face.  Tell  me,  did  you  kiss  that  awful  woman 
publicly?  Is  that  so?" 

Paul  was  intensely  angry  when  he  realized  that  this 
gossip  had  reached  the  woman  whom  he  had  pledged 
himself  he  would  always  protect. 

"  Not  exactly,"  he  finally  answered.  "  I  did  not  kiss 
her,  Madeline,  she  kissed  me — but  what  of  it?" 

"  What  of  it?  "  she  asked.  "  What  of  it?  Oh,  Paul, 
you  do  not  understand  a  woman.  You  do  not  under- 
stand what  that  means  to  me.  I  was  so  happy  when 
I  left  the  ship  until  a  woman  who  had  been  talking 
against  missionaries  all  the  way  over,  came  to  me  in 
the  hotel  at  luncheon  and  told  me  of  this  thing  that 
she  had  heard  about  a  missionary.  Don't  you  realize 
what  it  means  that  you — you,  Paul — should  be  talked 
about  in  this  way?  Oh,  it  almost  breaks  my  heart." 

"  But,  Madeline,  let  me  tell  you  about  it.  I  want 
you  to  know  everything  that  has  happened." 

Holding  her  close  to  him,  he  sat  down. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  understand  it,  Paul,  but 
I  will  listen.  Something  within  me  seems  to  have 
broken,  from  the  moment  I  heard  this  story.  Oh, 
Paul,  be  patient  with  me.  You,  who  were  so  patient 
and  loyal  when  we  separated  before,  be  patient  with 
me  now  and  don't  for  a  moment  think  I  don't  love  you, 


THE  TEST  47 

for  I  do.  But,  Paul,  all  of  this  has  raised  a  thousand 
doubts  in  my  mind.  You  remember  that  on  the  day 
when  you  took  me  in  your  arms  after  mother  died,  and 
I  was  left  alone,  you  told  me  that  the  one  thing  a 
husband  and  wife  must  give  each  other  was  faith,  ab- 
solute trusting  faith,  and,  Paul,  I  am  not  sure  that  I 
can  give  that  to  you  now." 

The  man  beside  her  was  silent.  He  seemed  to  be 
looking  into  the  far  distance. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  have  but  one  request 
to  make.  I  beg  you  not  to  decide  now.  A  decision 
now  might  bring  unhappiness  to  us  for  all  time.  Let 
us  think  it  over." 

"  Oh,  Paul,  I  have  thought  about  it  until  it  seems  to 
me  that  I  will  go  mad.  I  can  only  think  of  those 
terrible  days  when  we  separated  before.  I  don't  want 
to  blame  you,  but  you  have  been  so  stubborn.  When 
you  have  made  a  decision  nothing  turns  you  from  it. 
You  persist  and  persist.  Your  father  told  me  that  I 
ought  not  to  come,  and  he  gave  his  consent  only  when 
I  said  I  would  win  you  back." 

Paul  Redmond  stood  up  before  her.  He  was  indeed 
a  man  formed  by  the  centuries.  His  bearing  uncon- 
sciously revealed  the  struggle  of  past  generations,  and 
showed  the  strength  of  one  who  had  fought  and  con- 
quered. As  the  gentle  girl  before  him  looked  at  him 
she  was  afraid;  afraid  of  the  strength  that  he  repre- 
sented, afraid  of  the  daring  that  she  saw  in  his  eyes. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  you  are  beside  yourself.  You 
must  not  let  that  gossiping  woman  instil  doubt  in  your 
mind,  when  your  own  heart  tells  you  otherwise.  Go  to 


48     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

your  room  now  and  rest,  and  let  faith  find  its  expres- 
sion. Then  in  the  early  afternoon,  when  you  are 
ready,  I  will  come  for  you,  and  we  will  go  to  the  con- 
sul, who  will  marry  us.  I  would  not  be  true  to  my 
love  if  I  let  you  take  any  other  attitude.  You  have 
doubted,  but  having  been  with  me  again  I  am  sure 
you  must  believe ;  and  in  the  years  to  come  you  will  be 
proud  to  remember  that  your  husband  fought  for  a 
woman,  even  though  unworthy,  who  had  no  friends 
or  any  one  to  protect  her." 

Looking  eagerly  into  his  face  she  listened  to  every 
word. 

"  Paul,  don't  hope  over  much,  don't  believe  over 
much  in  me.  Something  in  me  has  broken.  I  don't 
know  what  it  is — I  can't  explain;  but  when  you  come 
after  tiffin  I  shall  be  ready  to  give  you  my  answer. 
Be  patient,  and  keep  on  loving  me." 

For  the  first  time  a  smile  broke  over  his  face  and  he 
took  her  tenderly  into  his  arms. 

"  Keep  loving  you  ?  Do  you  need  to  plead  with  me 
for  that? " — and  kissing  her  again,  he  was  gone. 


VI 

THE  DECREE  OF   FALSE   IDEALS 

WHEN  Paul  Redmond  left  Madeline  it  did  not 
seem  possible  that  she  would  refuse  to  marry 
him,  but  when  he  went  to  his  room  and  sat 
looking  out  over  the  harbor  where  the  little  boats  were 
plying  back  and  forth  to  the  great  ships  that  had  come 
to  this  wonderful  land,  a  question  came  to  him  which 
he  had  not  believed  could  ever  come. 

"  Suppose  she  should  say  '  No,'  and  turn  from  me 
just  now,  when  I  need  her  so  much?  " 

At  first,  his  mind  was  unable  to  grasp  such  a  situa- 
tion. 

"If  she  does,  I  will  go  back  to  America  and  win 
her,"  he  finally  decided.  "  I  will  never  let  it  be  said 
that  a  Redmond  was  refused  by  the  woman  of  his 
choice,  because  a  doubt  had  been  placed  upon  his 
honor." 

Then  he  thought  of  the  little  Chinese  city  with  its 
age-old  walls  and  narrow  canals — where  there  was  so 
much  to  be  done  and  where  the  demands  upon  him 
were  such  as  he  had  never  imagined. 

"  The  heart  may  dictate,  but  duty  alone  must  de- 
cide," was  his  final  decision. 

While  he  was  making  this  fight,  Madeline  Leonard 
was  facing  herself  and  the  future.  Never  before  had 
she  been  so  greatly  in  need  of  a  mother  to  comfort  her, 

49 


50     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

or  a  friend  who  understood,  to  show  her  the  way.  She 
dreaded  Paul's  coming,  but  when  he  came,  her  answer 
was  ready.  There  were  now  no  tears  in  her  eyes,  yet 
her  face  was  drawn  and  showed  the  stress  of  emotion. 
But  she  smiled  up  bravely  to  him  as  she  said,  "  Paul 
I  am  ready  for  you  now." 

He  did  not  kiss  her,  for  there  was  that  about  her 
which  seemed  to  forbid  it.  For  a  few  moments  neither 
spoke.  Each  sat  looking  into  the  other's  eyes,  both 
dreading  the  moment  when  speech  should  be  necessary. 

"  Yes,  Paul,  I  am  ready,  but  not  for  that  which  you 
want.  I  am  going  back  to  America  and  home." 

At  the  word  "  home  "  Paul  trembled.  It  recalled 
to  him  that  palatial  residence  in  New  York  which  had 
been  her  home  for  so  many  years,  and  made  him  think 
of  that  other  house — small  and  unpretentious,  which 
he  had  prepared  for  her. 

"  It  is  not  alone  because  of  this  woman  that  I  am 
not  going  to  do  what  you  ask,"  she  said.  "  It  seems 
to  me,  today,  that  there  are  a  thousand  reasons — rea- 
sons that  I  have  been  blinded  to  before." 

Paul  took  her  hand  in  his. 

"  Madeline,  does  this  mean  that  you  have  found  that 
you  do  not  love  me?  " 

"  No,  that  is  not  it.  Can  you  not  see  that  even  when 
people  love  each  other,  there  are  sometimes  conditions 
that  make  it  impossible  for  them  to  marry  ?  Paul,  my 
eyes  have  been  opened  to  that  fact.  I  believe  I  love 
you,  but  this  woman  has  made  me  doubt,  not  only  you, 
but  myself.  In  the  life  we  live  back  home  such  a 
thing  would  have  been  impossible,  but  you  have  chosen 


THE  DECREE  OF  FALSE  IDEALS    51 

a  life  that  seems  to  admit  of  it,  and  I  simply  can't 
stand  it.  And  then,  Paul,  these  Oriental  countries  are 
so  strange.  You  know  how  often  I  have  traveled  in 
Europe;  yet  I  have  never  felt  any  fear.  But  these 
people  are  different,  and  I  have  heard  that  China  is 
even  worse  than  Japan.  Those  terrible  dragons  and 
flags  frighten  me,  the  temples  terrify  me,  and  I  can't 
imagine  myself  living  here  for  any  length  of  time. 
Then  there  is  their  awful  language!  One  can  at  least 
follow  the  words  of  European  languages,  even  though 
one  does  not  understand  them  very  well;  but  there  is 
no  sound  or  form  to  this  language.  It  is  all  jargon 
to  me.  You  may  regard  all  this  as  very  childish,  if  you 
will,  but  for  me  it  constitutes  a  very  valid  reason  for 
the  step  I  have  decided  to  take." 

A  trace  of  scorn  passed  over  Paul's  face.  Then  he 
remembered  her  pleas  to  be  patient  with  her. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  these  things  that  are  now  so 
new  and  strange,  will  become  familiar.  After  the 
spell  of  the  East  falls  over  you,  you  will  never  want 
to  live  anywhere  else  on  earth.  You  will  want  to  make 
this  country  your  own." 

She  stood  up  before  him. 

"  Paul,"  she  replied  firmly,  "  I  believe  I  might  learn 
the  language  and  the  land  might  become  familiar.  But 
you,  you  are  the  strangest  of  all.  You  have  told  me 
little  of  your  life,  and  I  dread,  most  of  all,  to  hear  it. 
Wherever  I  have  been  I  have  heard  missionaries  ridi- 
culed and  their  work  declared  a  failure,  and  I  can't 
think  of  joining  myself  to  such  a  work,  nor  consent- 
ing that  you  should.  I  cannot  do  it.  For  my  sake,  for 


52      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

your  father's  sake  and  for  your  own — give  it  up. 
Come  back  to  New  York  with  me,  and  I  will  become 
your  wife  there.  There  I  know  I  can  believe  in  you, 
and  this  terrible  incident  will  pass." 

"Do  you  really  mean  that  you  are  not  going  to 
marry  me  ?  "  he  asked  in  an  unnatural  voice,  "  and 
that  I  must  go  back  to  China  alone?  " 

"  Yes,  Paul,  I  mean  that.  Oh,  please  don't  be  stub- 
born." 

"  Madeline,  how  little  you  understand.  You  think 
I  am  following  a  fancy.  Well,  you  are  wrong.  I  am 
following,  not  only  the  call  of  my  blood,  but  the  call 
of  that  last  trail  that  lies  across  the  world — the  trail 
to  the  hearts  of  men.  Go  back  to  your  life  in  America, 
if  you  will,  and  thereby  fasten  upon  me  the  sting  of 
an  incident  that  has  no  meaning.  But  I  want  you  to 
know  " — and  his  voice  softened  a  little — "  that  I  shall 
always  be  waiting  for  you  on  this  trail,  for  as  long  as 
I  live  I  will  follow  it.  When  a  vision  is  once  given  to 
a  strong  man,  there  is  no  turning  back." 

With  the  fortitude  of  a  man  who  held  himself  in 
superb  control,  he  passed  easily  from  that  which  was 
breaking  his  heart. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said  quietly,  "  this  decision  means 
that  you  must  return  soon.  May  I  arrange  for  your 
passage?" 

She  looked  into  his  eyes  for  a  long  moment,  for 
when  he  offered  to  do  the  little  things  that  would  make 
her  comfortable  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  must  recall 
what  she  had  said  and  follow  him.  She  knew  that  she 
uould  not  be  with  him  much  longer. 


THE  DECREE  OF  FALSE  IDEALS         53 

"  No,  Paul,  I  can  attend  to  it.  In  these  years  since 
you  have  been  away  I  have  had  to  look  after  many 
things  of  which  you  used  to  relieve  me." 

The  man  hesitated  a  moment.  Then  taking  her  into 
his  arms,  he  kissed  her  and  went  away.  When  he 
was  gone,  Madeline  stretched  out  her  hands,  crying: 
"  Oh,  Paul,  I  do  love  you  and  shall  always  love  you. 
But  oh,  how  I  hate  that  woman,  and  this  dreadful 
land." 


VII 

OLD   FRIENDS   IN   NEW  LANDS 

PAUL  went  from  Madeline  crushed  and  broken — 
that  is,  as  far  as  a  man  who  has  abiding  hope 
in  his  heart  and  a  task  to  accomplish,  can  be 
broken.  Just  at  the  time  when  his  sorrow  was  most 
intense,  there  came  to  him  some  old-time  friends  who 
were  to  comfort  and  make  easier  his  way.  In  New 
York  he  had  been  intimate  with  a  family  by  the  name 
of  Stewart.  Mr.  Stewart  was  a  man  of  large  affairs 
and  the  family  were  members  of  the  church  to  which 
Paul  belonged.  There  was  one  daughter,  Frances,  a 
girl  of  very  different  type  from  the  gentle  and  re- 
served Madeline.  Always  gay  and  enthusiastic  she 
sometimes  gave  to  casual  acquaintances  an  impression 
of  boldness,  but  everyone  who  knew  her,  believed  in 
her  thoroughly. 

When  Paul  entered  the  hotel  after  leaving  Madeline 
he  was  amazed  to  see  Frances  Stewart  crossing  the  cor- 
ridor. His  first  inclination  was  to  avoid  her,  for  those 
associated  with  his  old  life  were  the  last  in  the  world 
he  wanted  to  see  at  this  time.  Frances  had  seen  him, 
however,  and  came  to  him. 

"  We  have  been  waiting  for  you,"  she  said.  "  Where 
is  Madeline  and  when  is  the  happy  event  to  take 
place?" 

For  a  moment  he  was  tempted  to  tell  her  that  the 

54 


OLD  FRIENDS  IN  NEW  LANDS  55 

day  had  not  been  set,  but  he  looked  into  her  face,  and 
said  quietly :  "  Frances,  our  wedding  will  not  take 
place.  Madeline  is  going  home." 

A  peculiar  look  came  into  the  brown  eyes  of  Frances 
Stewart  and  a  scornful  expression  played  about  her 
mouth. 

"  Oh,  didn't  she  have  the  nerve  ?  A  great  many  of 
us  could  say,  '  I  told  you  so.' ' 

This  criticism  of  the  woman  he  loved,  instantly 
brought  Paul  to  her  defense. 

"  It  is  not  that,  Frances,  but  something  has  hap- 
pened that  has  made  her  doubt." 

The  scorn  in  the  girl's  eyes  turned  to  fury. 

"  So  she  has  heard  some  of  that,  has  she  ?  Well, 
so  have  I,  but,  using  good  old  New  York  English,  I 
said  it  was  a  lie.  Who  cares  what  sort  of  a  mix-up 
you  have  gotten  yourself  into  in  the  course  of  an  argu- 
ment?" 

Thus  it  was  that,  under  the  stress  of  a  great  crisis, 
that  which  had  been  little  more  than  a  mere  acquaint- 
ance, became  a  friendship.  Frances  immediately  went 
to  her  parents  and  told  them  the  story  so  that  there 
would  be  no  further  embarrassment  to  Paul  when  they 
should  meet.  Their  sympathy  remained  unexpressed, 
as  does  all  true  sympathy. 

Paul's  inclination  was  to  see  Madeline  again,  but 
her  answer  had  been  so  final  and  the  pain  of  it  all  so 
acute,  that  he  decided  he  would  not  try  to  see  her  again. 
He  traveled  with  the  Stewarts  across  Japan  toward 
China,  and  as  they  journeyed,  he  talked  with  them  of 
the  years  that  had  intervened  since  he  left  his  home. 


56     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Mr.  Stewart  was  a  typical  American  business  man. 
He  was  philanthropically  inclined,  but  had  given  most 
of  his  money  toward  benevolences  at  home.  Each  year 
he  contributed  a  few  hundred  dollars  to  some  mission 
in  a  far-off  field,  but  the  evangelization  of  the  world 
had  never  had  any  part  in  his  interest,  or  in  his  life. 
As  they  journeyed  toward  China,  he  experienced  a 
growing  interest  in  missions.  On  the  steamer  were 
several  young  people,  full  of  life,  and  spirit  and  high 
ideals,  who  were  going  out  to  this  service.  All  this 
was  a  revelation  to  Stewart,  for  his  idea  of  mission- 
aries had  pictured  something  very  different.  He  had 
always  heard  them  disparagingly  spoken  of  and  trav- 
elers he  had  met  in  the  East  had  ridiculed  them.  Now 
he  found  himself  questioning  their  judgment,  and  real- 
ized that  those  who  had  made  such  criticism  had  never 
made  a  business  investigation  of  missions,  but  had 
based  their  censure  on  the  unfortunate  shortcomings 
of  the  few  missionaries  they  had  known.  He  was  in- 
terested, too,  in  finding  Paul's  chief  companion  to  be 
the  cultured  and  educated  Chu,  a  man  trained  in  all 
the  learning  of  the  Chinese  schools  and  classics,  who 
was  with  Paul  in  the  capacity  of  teacher.  Mr. 
Stewart  asked  a  great  many  questions  about  their 
friendship  and  the  confidence  that  had  grown  up  be- 
tween them.  The  intimacy  of  these  two  men, — one 
an  Occidental,  the  other  an  Oriental — seemed  strange 
to  him. 

He  inquired  minutely  into  the  nature  of  Paul's  work, 
and  one  night  as  they  sat  in  the  little  hotel  at  Nagasaki, 
Paul  urged  the  Stewarts  to  go  back  with  him  to  China; 


OLD  FRIENDS  IN  NEW  LANDS  57 

but  when  he  described  the  little  Chinese  house  in  which 
he  lived,  he  suggested  that,  after  all,  it  might  not  be 
possible  for  him  to  make  them  comfortable.  Frances 
laughed. 

"  Mr.  Man,"  she  said,  "  if  you  have  been  able  to 
live  there  for  years,  don't  you  think  we  can  endure  it 
for  a  few  days  ?  " 

"  I  scarcely  know.  You  see,  my  work  was  there,  and 
you  come  only  as  visitors  and  sight-seers." 

A  curious  expression  came  into  the  eyes  of  Frances 
Stewart  and  a  smile  lit  up  her  face.  "  I'm  not  sure 
that  our  motives  are  as  far  apart  as  you  seem  to  think 
they  are,"  she  continued. 


VIII 

TIES    THAT   ARE  STRANGE 

WORD  ran  across  Japan  and  on  to  China  that 
Paul  Redmond  had  been  jilted  on  his  wed- 
ding day  by  his  bride-to-be  because  another 
woman  had  kissed  him  after  a  brawl  on  a  ship.  In 
the  strange  and  insidious  way  that  such  gossip  usually 
travels,  the  news  reached  the  old  captain.  He  had 
known  Paul  only  a  short  while,  but  men  who  live  long 
in  the  East  read  character  quickly  and  soon  come  to 
know  upon  whom  they  can  depend.  When  he  heard 
the  story  his  anger  knew  no  bounds,  and  those  who 
thought  they  knew  him  at  his  worst,  never  heard  him 
swear  as  he  did  now.  He  inquired  very  particularly 
whether  the  men  who  had  caused  this  trouble  had  re- 
turned to  China. 

"  I  tell  ye,"  he  said,  "  if  they  ever  come  across  the 
boundaries  into  China  and  I'm  here  on  that  day,  I'll 
kill  'em.  In  all  these  years  of  hatin'  and  fightin',  I've 
never  yet  taken  a  man's  life.  But  do  ye  hear  me — I'll 
kill  'em.  They've  raised  jumpin'  hades  in  the  life  of 
that  boy  who  is  as  pure  as  the  purest  woman.  Suppose 
some  woman  did  kiss  him — what  of  it?  I'll  be  jim- 
miny-horn-swaggled  if  I  know  what  she  was  doing, 
nor  do  I  care,  nor  do  I  ever  want  him  to  tell  me  the 
reason.  I  only  know  this — that  there  was  some  rea- 
son, and  that  there  was  nothing  bad  about  it." 

58 


TIES  THAT  ARE  STRANGE  59 

Most  of  those  who  heard  the  rumors  simply  lifted 
their  eyebrows  or  shrugged  their  shoulders  and  won- 
dered. Paul  had  dreaded  meeting  the  old  captain  for 
he  remembered  how  he  had  cursed  and  hated  mission- 
aries and  he  was  heartbroken  at  the  thought  that  this 
gossip  might  have  reached  him.  He  hoped  he  had 
heard  the  whole  story,  if  any.  He  felt  that  it  would 
be  harder  to  explain  to  him  than  to  anyone  else,  yet 
he  felt  sure  that  he  would  receive  from  him  such  sym- 
pathy as  man  alone  can  give  to  man.  The  captain's 
greeting  was  as  hearty  as  ever.  No  reference  was 
made  to  that  which  was  uppermost  in  their  minds  until 
the  boat  had  left  the  dock  at  midnight,  when  the  cap- 
tain came  into  his  cabin. 

"  Well,  lad,  there's  no  need  for  me  to  be  silent  about 
this.  They've  got  you.  Yet  I  hardly  expected  'em  to 
get  you  this  way.  But  I  know  their  kind  and  I  knew 
they  would  strike  in  the  dark,  and  that  when  they 
struck,  they  would  strike  hard.  But  by  gad,  I'm  glad 
you've  taken  it  like  a  sport.  I  don't  want  you  to  tell 
me  a  thing  for  I  know  the  story  as  far  as  the  woman 
is  concerned.  When  I  heard  the  rumor,  I  went  at  once 
to  where  she  hangs  out  and  found  that  she  had  returned 
to  Shanghai,  but  not  to  her  old  haunts.  I  looked  her  up 
and  I  know  the  story.  She  surely  has  messed  things 
up  for  us,  but  she  didn't  mean  to.  If  she  had,  I'd  a- 
killed  her.  As  it  is,  it  is  a  hard  problem  to  keep  her 
from  killin'  herself  and  I'm  not  sure  but  that  she  will. 
Yet  that's  neither  here  nor  there.  I'm  only  hopin'  that 
these  dirty  scoundrels  will  come  to  China,  so  that  I 
can  get  at  'em.  But  now  about  this  other  woman — 


60     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

what  in  the  name  of  a  shark's  fin  did  she  mean?  I 
can't  figure  that  out." 

Paul  lifted  his  hand. 

"  Captain,"  he  said,  "  I  feel  that  we  are  going  to  be 
good  friends,  and  I  shall  never  try  to  keep  you  from 
talking  about  my  affairs.  But  there  is  one  person  that 
you  must  not  discuss  and  that  is  Madeline  Leonard.  I 
think  she  has  made  a  great  mistake;  but  it  has  been 
an  honest  one  and  I  happen  to  know  that  my  father 
played  pretty  hard  upon  her  feelings ;  that  others  tried 
to  influence  her,  and  so  she  is  not  altogether  responsible 
for  what  she  has  done.  If  you  knew  her,  I  would  allow 
you  to  express  any  feeling  that  you  might  have,  but 
I  am  sure  that  you  want  nothing  to  come  between  us 
for  I  need  you  now.  I  need  you  now  as  probably  man 
never  yet  needed  man.  So  let's  not  discuss  Madeline." 

A  peculiar  look  played  over  the  old  captain's 
wrinkled  face. 

"By  jimminy  gad!  All  right,  lad,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  you  are  true  to  all  the  ideals  that  I  want  you  to  have. 
If  any  man,  even  today,  said  a  word  against  the  little 
woman  who  sent  me  adrift  more  than  a  half  century 
ago,  I'd  put  a  knife  into  him.  Go  back  to  your  work, 
boy.  Don't  brood.  Work.  Put  yourself  right  into 
the  life  of  these  people,  and  the  pain  and  the  burn  and 
the  sting  which  today  you  think  can  never  grow  less 
will,  after  a  while,  become  bearable.  But,  the  ache 
will  last  always." 

The  two  men  walked  out  into  the  night  and  sat 
down  on  the  deck.  For  a  long  while  they  were  silent. 
They  looked  out  over  the  river  which  had  been  the 


TIES  THAT  ARE  STRANGE  61 

scene  of  the  old  man's  long  career.  Ducks  and  geese 
flying  across  the  shadowy  sky  shut  out  for  a  moment 
the  light  from  the  moon,  and  as  the  boat  swung  nearer 
the  shore,  the  captain  pointed  out  a  deer  that  had 
pushed  its  way  through  the  reeds  to  the  water  and 
stood  drinking,  bathed  in  the  moonlight.  Along  the 
banks,  the  fishermen  could  be  dimly  seen.  They  had 
their  big  nets  fastened  to  the  corners  of  four  large  bam- 
boo poles  and  were  raising  them  up  and  down  in  the 
river,  and  calling  to  their  helpers  as  they  flung  the  fish 
back  to  them  on  shore.  The  silent  junks  were  scurry- 
ing past  them  down  the  river,  ever  and  anon  warned 
by  the  shrill  blast  of  the  whistle  or  the  call  of  the  angry 
steersman,  when  they  ran  too  close  to  the  steamer. 
Finally,  the  old  captain  turned  his  sharp  eyes  on  Paul 
and  gazed  at  him  steadily  for  a  moment. 

"  Boy,"  he  said,  "  you  and  I  have  just  got  to  be 
friends.  Anyone  who  fish'd  me  out  of  the  muck  and 
brine  of  this  river,  I  have  just  got  to  be  a  friend  to. 
I  don't  like  this  idea  of  your  being  a  missionary,  but 
still  I  guess  I  can  put  up  with  that,  if  you  can  put  up 
with  my  language  and  " — here  his  face  wrinkled  into 
a  smile — "  I  don't  think  one  is  any  worse  than  the 
other." 

"  Captain,"  answered  Paul,  "  tell  me  about  this  land. 
I  have  been  in  it  a  few  years  and  I  know  something 
about  it.  But  to  you  who  have  so  wide  a  knowledge 
and  understanding  of  it — what  does  it  mean  to  you? 
I  should  like  to  know  something  of  it,  from  one  who 
knows  it  so  well." 

For  a   few   moments  the  captain  smoked  on   in 


62     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

silence.  Then  he  reached  out  his  hand,  and  put  it  on 
one  of  Paul's. 

"  Boy,"  he  began,  "  I'm  glad  that  you  are  my  friend 
and  I  want  you  to  know  that  I'm  not  opposed  to  you, 
even  though  I'm  opposed  to  your  work.  I'm  some 
Mister  Satan  when  it  comes  to  teasing  folks.  I  enjoy 
my  swearin'  only  because  it  shocks  people.  I  realize 
that  few  people  know  me  and  the  fact  doesn't  trouble 
me.  But  from  the  time  I  looked  into  your  eyes  out 
there  in  the  slush  and  the  mud  of  the  river  banks  I 
felt  that  during  these  last  years  of  my  life,  which  you 
saved,  I  should  like  to  be  a  friend  to  a  man  like  you, 
and  to  have  you  for  my  friend. 

"  You've  come  on  a  big  job,  though  I  have  never 
been  able  to  believe  in  it.  A  man  who  has  lived  here 
for  fifty  years  and  who  has  cursed  the  missionary  all 
that  time,  knows  a  little  of  what  the  missionary  has 
done.  I  am  coming  to  believe  that  missionary  service 
is  finally  to  come  into  its  own,  and  that  what  has  been 
accomplished  will  be  little  in  comparison  with  what 
will  yet  be  done — if  they  go  at  it  right.  But,  by  gad, 
they've  gone  at  it  wrong,  a  good  many  times.  It's  a 
joy  to  me,  young  man,  that  men  of  your  type  are 
coming  out  here  more  and  more.  Missionaries  have 
been  good  and  bad.  They  have  been  capable  and  in- 
capable. They  have  been  wise  and  blamed  fools,  but, 
as  I  think  of  it,  I  don't  know  whether  I  should  have 
stayed  in  China  fifty  years  if  it  had  not  been  for  them. 
If  every  missionary  was  to  leave  China  tomorrow  I 
have  no  question  that  you  would  see  the  customs  men, 
merchants  and  the  sinners  of  the  far  East  leaving  this 


TIES  THAT  ARE  STRANGE  63 

place  as  rats  leave  a  scuttled  ship.  They  damn  you 
but  they  want  your  protection. 

"  But  enough  of  that,  young  man.  We  understand 
each  other.  I  simply  wanted  you  to  know  that  you 
can  bring  your  problems  to  me,  and  if  I  can  give  you 
any  advice  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  it,  though  it  will  be 
rotten  poor.  You'll  get  cursed  once  in  a  while,  but 
that'll  be  good  for  you. 

"  Now,  about  China,  my  boy,"  he  continued,  "  China 
is  a  wonderful  land.  We  cuss  it  and  we  hate  it.  We 
hate  its  malaria  and  its  stench.  But  that  fellow  Kip- 
ling described  China  when  he  said  that  once  you  live 
out  here  you  can't  get  away  from  the  damned  place. 
That's  not  his  poetry,  but  his  sentiments — and  they're 
mine.  Do  you  see  the  river  there?  That's  China. 
There  is  no  such  river  on  earth  as  that.  There  is  none 
on  which  so  many  people  travel  every  day,  and  on 
whose  banks  so  much  life  throngs.  See  that  water 
there,  lad?  None  of  it  started  less  than  a  thousand 
miles  away — yonder  in  the  uplands  of  Tibet.  The 
eddies,  the  rapids  and  the  falls  of  that  river  make  some 
of  the  cataracts  that  people  travel  many  miles  to  see 
look  like  little  pools.  But  the  currents  and  the  treach- 
ery of  the  river  itself — that's  China.  There  is  no  river 
on  earth  that  brings  so  much  life  when  spring  comes, 
when  all  mountain  streams  and  canals  overflow  and 
make  possible  food  for  the  next  year.  But,  God,  when 
the  water  is  too  much,  and  this  thing  that  is  scarcely 
a  mile  wide  overflows  the  banks,  and  is  in  some  places 
from  twenty  to  fifty  miles  wide,  and  those  little  mud 
huts  out  yonder  melt  and  crumble  away,  and  the  people 


64     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

like  musk  rats,  flock  to  the  gates  of  the  great  cities, 
their  homes  gone,  all  gone,  you  can't  know  the  sorrow 
and  the  tragedy  of  it  all.  I  have  stood  on  the  deck 
of  this  boat  and  seen  people  float  by  in  tubs  and  rafts, 
and  on  the  roofs  of  their  houses.  The  people  of  the 
West  would  have  been  screaming,  but  fatalism  has 
crept  into  their  lives.  They  were  going  to  their  death 
with  no  outcry.  Many  times  the  only  expression  is 
an  outstretched  hand  for  help. 

"You  see  the  swiftness  of  that  river?  The  water 
now  is  battling  against  the  tides  of  the  sea  that  flow 
more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  inland,  yet  that 
yellow  water — China's  color — throws  itself  far  out 
into  the  sea,  a  separate  stream.  You  know  I  never 
turn  the  point  from  the  Yangtse  into  the  Woo  Sung 
River  without  thinking  that  some  day  China  is  going 
to  throw  her  life  into  the  life  of  all  the  nations.  Japan 
licked  hell  out  of  China,  but  what  is  Japan?  Those 
picture  characters  that  they  call  writing  they  got  from 
China.  All  of  their  art  and  learning  was  originally 
Chinese.  That's  only  the  beginning  of  the  river's  cur- 
rent. Blame  little  good  our  immigration  laws  and  ex- 
clusion laws  are  going  to  do.  You  have  come  to  a 
land  that  cannot  be  curbed.  It's  a  land  of  homes.  It's 
a  land  where  men  love  their  fathers.  If  the  ideals 
which  I  know  men  like  you  have  in  their  hearts  can 
be  given  to  China,  the  next  century  will  see  her  influ- 
ence reaching  over  the  earth.  They  can't  fight,  it's 
not  in  their  blood — and  why  in  hell  should  they  fight  ? 
A  people  that  can  make  barren  places  blossom  like  the 
rose,  yet  who  have  never  heard  of  the  scientific  farm- 


TIES  THAT  ARE  STRANGE  65 

ing  that  some  of  your  colleges  are  always  blating  about . 
can  do  something  better  than  fight." 

The  old  captain  paused. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  after  a  minute  or  so,  "  that's  the 
nearest  to  a  speech  any  man  ever  got  from  me,  but 
somehow  you  dug  in.  I  didn't  know  I  knew  so  much. 
But  let  me  tell  you  that  when  you  have  had  it  beaten 
into  you;  when  you  have  hated  and  cursed  for  a  half 
century;  when  you  have  fought  against  tremendous 
odds  for  so  long,  you'll  know  something,  too,  my  boy. 
I  can't  talk  much  longer  now,  for  I  must  turn  in;  but 
I  want  you  to  know  this:  When  you  leave  the  ship 
in  the  morning,  an  old  man  will  be  sorry  you  are  gone; 
and  I  hope  that  when  you  hear  of  my  going  up  or 
down  the  river,  and  you  are  anywhere  near  me,  you 
will  come  to  me  and  let  me  swear  at  you  a  bit  just  to 
keep  you  human.  It's  little  that  I  pray,  but  sometimes 
when  the  road  is  hard,  my  boy,  I  want  you  to  remem- 
ber that  an  old  shriveled-up  old  cuss,  whom  you  have 
saved,  will  look  into  the  stars  at  night  and  pray  that 
you  may  be  kept  right,  and  that  your  life  may  be  use- 
ful. Sometime  you  will  tell  me  your  story.  I  know 
you  have  paid  a  price  to  come  out  here,  and  I  know 
this  little  bit  that  has  just  happened.  Already  it  is 
written  across  your  face.  But  keep  to  the  trail,  young 
man — keep  to  the  trail.  Let's  turn  in.  Good-night." 


IX 

A   MAN'S   FOES 

THE  hardest  task  that  Paul  Redmond  had  faced 
in  all  his  life  was  to  turn  back  to  Fou  Cheo. 
It  was  for  Fou  Cheo  that,  in  the  years  past, 
he  had  been  disinherited  of  great  wealth,  and  even  the 
woman  he  loved  had  turned  from  him  because  he  had 
gone  out  to  work  and  to  live  in  a  Chinese  city.  For 
Fou  Cheo  he  had  risked  his  life  in  the  midst  of  disease; 
for  Fou  Cheo  he  had  fought  against  superstition  and 
ignorance  such  as  he  had  never  known  before  or 
dreamed  existed;  for  Fou  Cheo  he  had  fought  men 
of  ancient  religions  and  had  made  enemies  who  were 
to  oppose  him  for  years  to  come.  He  had  made 
friends,  certainly,  and  these  friends  had  sent  him  away 
to  his  wedding  with  all  the  congratulatory  pomp  com- 
mon to  the  Orient  on  such  an  occasion,  and  now  he 
was  going  back — unmarried.  True  friends  were  re- 
turning with  him,  but  to  make  it  more  difficult,  there 
was  an  unmarried  woman  in  the  party. 

As  he  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  in  the  early 
morning,  it  seemed  to  him  impossible  to  leave  his 
friend,  the  captain,  and  go  back  to  Fou  Cheo.  He  had 
written  the  whole  story  to  Chu  from  Japan,  explain- 
ing everything  that  he  could,  for  he  felt  that  between 
himself  and  this  Chinese  frie"  1  there  must  be  abso- 
lute frankness. 

66 


A  MAN'S  FOES  67 

There  was  a  letter  from  Chu  awaiting  him  when  he 
left  the  steamer  at  Wuhu,  assuring  him  of  a  warm 
personal  welcome,  but  containing  no  word  of  the 
problems  he  would  have  to  face.  Paul  knew  well  what 
it  meant  to  return  unmarried  to  an  Oriental  city,  where 
it  was  common  knowledge  that  he  had  gone  to  meet  his 
bride.  The  meeting  of  the  two  friends  was  almost 
one  of  silence,  yet  as  the  two  men  looked  into  each 
other's  eyes,  each  knew  that  the  understanding  be- 
tween them  was  complete.  Chu's  tenderness  was  like 
that  of  a  woman.  His  Oriental  stoicism  seemed  to  fall 
from  him.  He  did  everything  in  his  power  to  take 
Paul's  mind  from  his  sorrow.  He  shielded  him  as 
much  as  he  could  from  the  rumors  that  ran  riot 
through  the  streets. 

Chu  and  a  group  of  Paul's  friends  had  been  very 
considerate  of  the  Stewarts  and  had  given  them  a  royal 
welcome,  but  nothing  could  explain  to  the  community 
why  he  had  returned  unmarried.  The  priests,  particu- 
larly, were  busy  spreading  their  nefarious  slander. 

"  Ah,"  they  said,  "  why  has  he  come  back  without 
his  wife,  and  how  is  it  that  the  priests  along  the  river 
say  that  his  name  has  been  associated  with  that  of  a 
woman  about  whom  even  the  winds  whisper?  " 

These  rumors  were  damaging  both  to  Paul's  reputa- 
tion and  to  the  work  which  he  represented.  They 
came  to  the  ears  of  his  colleagues  in  varying  form, 
who  mentioned  them  only  when  they  vitally  affected 
that  which  he  was  trying  to  accomplish.  Chu  had  fre- 
quently seen  two  foreigners  in  and  about  Fou  Cheo, 
and  he  felt  sure  that  they  were  the  source  of  this 


68     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

malicious  slander,  for  he  had  noticed  that  they  were 
always  anxious  to  keep  out  of  Paul's  way.  Many  of 
Paul's  friends  laughed  at  these  stories,  but  the  ques- 
tioning mind  of  the  Orient  was  not  so  easily  satisfied. 

The  immediate  days  after  his  return  to  Fou  Cheo 
were  occupied  in  showing  the  Stewarts  about  the  city 
and  countryside.  School  work  was  consuming  much 
of  his  time,  for  he  had  started  schools  in  about  twenty 
villages,  and  one  of  higher  grade  was  being  con- 
ducted at  Fou  Cheo.  These  needed  constant  super- 
vision and  it  was  difficult  to  find  suitable  teachers.  So 
great  was  the  need  that  the  University  at  Nanking 
and  other  centers  were  unable  to  supply  the  various  de- 
mands made  upon  them. 

Mr.  Stewart  and  the  ladies  had  insisted  upon  going 
to  all  of  these  villages.  Journeying  to  one  of  them 
they  passed  the  famous  mountain  of  the  district.  On 
its  top  was  a  temple  to  which  tens  of  thousands  of 
people  traveled  every  year,  at  the  time  of  stated  feasts. 
On  this  occasion  they  were  accompanied  by  Chu,  a 
young  native  doctor  and  an  old  Chinese  preacher,  who 
was  a  converted  opium  smoker.  As  they  stood  look- 
ing down  from  Wolf  Mountain  (as  the  height  was 
called)  on  the  wonderful  valley  in  which  lay  the  city 
of  Fou  Cheo,  the  travelers  lingered  long  and  studied 
the  picture  that  lay  before  them.  Mr.  Stewart  was 
familiar  with  the  larger  and  crowded  Chinese  cities, 
but  never  had  he  looked  out  over  a  land  so  teeming 
with  human  life  and  abounding  with  gifts  of  nature. 
The  system  of  waterways  running  back  from  the  great 
Yangtse  looked  like  a  net-work  of  lace.  They  could 


A  MAN'S  FOES  69 

see  out  over  the  surrounding  country  forty  miles  in 
every  direction.  Groups  of  houses,  with  only  short 
distances  between  them,  nestled  in  the  midst  of  willow 
trees.  They  saw  the  homes  of  a  million  people. 

The  mountain  was  crowned  with  a  Buddhist  temple. 
As  they  stood  in  the  shadows  Paul  remembered  that 
for  centuries  the  devotion  of  this  vast  population  had 
centered  itself  in  the  gods  of  these  temples.  He  had 
heard  of  the  claims  of  the  priests  during  the  cholera 
scourge.  No  doors  were  open  to  the  future  life,  and 
as  far  as  worship  was  concerned,  the  present  was  hope- 
less. 

Paul  began  to  talk  to  Mr.  Stewart  of  these  things 
and  appealed  to  his  sense  of  the  bigness  of  it  all,  and 
to  his  ability  to  deal  with  great  situations.  He  pointed 
out  that  here  were  a  hundred  cities  of  from  ten  thou- 
sand to  fifty  thousand  inhabitants  each.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  homes  were  scattered  around,  in  each 
of  which  was  a  household  god,  and  all  of  which  faced 
and  worshiped  the  past. 

"  None  of  the  women  in  these  homes  have  any  hope 
for  the  future,"  he  said.  "  When  they  stop  to  think 
at  all,  that  thought  must  be  filled  with  dread." 

Chu  and  the  other  two  Chinese  in  the  little  group, 
the  evangelist  and  the  young  doctor,  were  continually 
commenting  on  the  opportunities  in  the  district.  Mr. 
Stewart  was  particularly  interested  in  the  old  Chinese 
evangelist,  whose  face  was  wrinkled  and  scarred,  and 
who,  he  said,  reminded  him  of  the  mummy  of  Rameses 
II.  He  showed  the  scars  of  life  more  than  any  man 
he  had  ever  seen.  He  was  about  sixty  years  old  and 


70  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

had  overcome  the  opium  habit  by  the  power  of  prayer. 
He  had  been  one  of  the  classic  story-tellers  of  the  old 
life  in  China,  but  was  now  telling  the  story  of  a  new 
life  in  an  inimitable  way.  As  the  little  group  stood 
together  on  the  mountain,  the  old  man  reached  out 
his  hand  and  waved  it  over  the  district,  and  said: 
"  Mr.  Redmond,  this  is  your  new  kingdom.  We  have 
been  told  that  your  father  made  a  great  fortune  in 
the  handling  of  money.  Why  should  you  not  spend 
your  life  here  and  be  as  successful  in  winning  men 
as  he  was  in  securing  money  ?  " 

When  this  speech  of  the  old  evangelist  was  inter- 
preted to  Mr.  Stewart,  he  turned  and  looked  fixedly 
at  Paul  for  a  time  and  then  said,  "  Why  not  ?  " 

As  they  talked  together  the  old  priest  from  the 
temple  came  and  stood  beside  them.  With  the  art- 
fulness of  the  East  he  inquired,  "  Are  you  travelers 
here?" 

"  No,"  the  old  preacher  replied,  "  we  live  in  the 
city  of  Fou  Cheo.  We  have  opened  a  hospital  and 
school  there,  and  we  are  going  to  try,  if  possible,  to 
be  friends  to  the  people  of  this  district." 

"  We  need  no  hospitals,"  returned  the  priest.  "  My 
people  can  come  up  here  to  my  gods  and  for  a  few 
cash  they  can  be  healed." 

The  old  evangelist  laughed  heartily. 

"  But,  my  friend,"  he  said,  "  what  about  that  sore 
that  I  see?  You  have  a  bandage  about  your  leg.  And 
what  about  the  scrofula  on  your  head?  If  they  can 
be  healed  by  your  idols,  why  not  have  them  healed  ?  " 

Then  his  voice  grew  tender  as  he  went  on :    "  Hon- 


A  MAN'S  FOES  71 

ored  sir,"  he  said,  "  I  hope  we  shall  be  friends.  But 
if  we  increase  you  must  decrease,  and  we  want  you  to 
know  our  purpose." 

"  I  know  your  purpose,"  returned  the  priest,  "  for 
were  you  not  the  man  who  went  to  the  magistrate 
during  the  cholera  plague  and  did  you  not  attempt  to 
cure  the  people  and  did  not  the  people  die?  " 

Then  he  turned  to  Paul  with  a  sneer  on  his  face. 
"  Is  this  your  wife  you  have  brought  to  our  moun- 
tain here?  I  understand  you  went  away  to  be  mar- 
ried." With  this  he  turned  and  went  back  to  his  com- 
panions in  the  temple,  and  they  realized  that  he  went 
not  as  a  friend  but  as  an  enemy. 

In  every  generation,  no  matter  what  the  religion 
and  the  age,  the  priests  have  been  the  enemies  of 
progress.  They  have  served  but  never  led.  When 
the  prophet  spirit  has  been  combined  with  a  priestly 
office  they  have  made  marvelous  progress,  but  the 
priests  alone  have  always  fought  a  change  from  the 
old  to  the  new.  It  was  to  be  no  exception  with  this 
young  prophet  of  the  new  day. 


X 

"THE   POWERS   THAT   BE" 

MR.  STEWART  was  wonderfully  impressed 
with  the  vision  he  had  had  of  the  work — its 
beginning,  its  possibilities  and  its  problems. 
So  also  was  Paul  now  able  to  forget  some  of  his 
sorrow  by  throwing  himself  actively  into  his  work 
and  planning  with  the  Stewarts  about  his  future. 

For  months  they  had  experienced  extreme  difficulty 
in  purchasing  land.  Redmond  found  that  every  piece 
they  went  to  inspect  had  already  been  bought  by  the 
rich  man  of  the  district.  This  only  gave  him  new 
zest,  and  one  night  while  the  Stewarts  were  with  him 
a  man  came  to  him  saying  that  he  was  the  owner  of 
a  piece  of  land  with  which  Paul  was  familiar.  The 
price  he  put  on  it  was  three  times  what  it  was  really 
worth.  But  before  morning,  without  any  bickering, 
and  without  even  going  to  look  at  the  land  again,  Paul 
had  secured  it. 

They  went  that  night  to  the  Yamen,  the  official  resi- 
dence of  the  magistrate,  and  with  polite  insistence 
demanded  that  the  deed  be  stamped.  The  magistrate, 
because  of  the  aid  that  Paul  and  his  co-workers  had 
given  during  the  cholera  fight,  could  not  well  refuse, 
but  around  this  transaction  a  great  battle  was  fought. 
The  priests,  led  by  the  hilltop  priest,  threatened  death 
on  the  man  who  had  sold  it,  and  the  rich  man  tried 

72 


"  THE  POWERS  THAT  BE  "  73 

to  bring  the  pressure  of  false  law  suits  upon  him, 
but  the  young  missionary  defended  the  man  for  his 
action  and  told  the  magistrate  that  he  had  committed 
no  crime  and  that  no  charge  should  be  lodged  against 
him. 

The  buildings  they  rented  were  of  Chinese  archi- 
tecture, which  they  remodeled.  The  expenditure  en- 
tailed seemed  ridiculously  small  both  to  Mr.  Stewart 
and  to  Paul,  accustomed,  as  they  were,  to  spending 
large  sums  of  money  on  themselves. 

Often,  when  Paul  went  into  the  little  dispensary 
and  hospital,  where  there  were  a  few  beds  for  the 
worst  patients,  he  debated  with  himself  whether  he 
should,  or  should  not,  appeal  to  his  father.  He  had 
told  Mr.  Stewart  that  he  had  written  to  his  father  and 
asked  him  for  help  to  build  a  hospital,  describing  their 
work  in  rented  buildings  and  in  limited  quarters,  but 
had  received  no  response.  Mr.  Stewart  was  very  in- 
dignant, and  resolved  that  when  he  went  back  to  New 
York  he  would  go  to  Robert  Redmond,  and  endeavor 
to  make  him  understand  something  of  what  his  son 
was  doing  in  the  far  East. 

It  was  during  this  visit  of  the  Stewarts,  which  they 
had  prolonged,  that  a  runner  came  from  the  Yamen 
bearing  a  message  from  the  magistrate,  telling  of  the 
illness  of  his  only  son.  Paul  and  the  young  doctor 
went  quickly  to  him.  They  found  the  boy  very  ill 
and  the  father  greatly  concerned.  For  ten  days  they 
fought  the  terrible  disease.  The  magistrate  showed 
signs  of  care  when  Paul  came  to  him  one  morning  and 
said,  "  We  give  you  back  your  son." 


74  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

The  old  man  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  prostrated 
himself  before  Paul,  kowtowing  again  and  again.  "  I 
have  allowed  rumors  to  run  down  the  streets  against 
you,"  he  said,  "  and  I  have  said  that  you  could  not 
stay  long  in  this  district,  but  now  I  say  that  if  I  shall 
ever  hear  anyone,  great  or  small,  say  anything  against 
you,  I  shall  have  him  beheaded,  for  starting  the 
rumor." 

Paul  smiled  as  he  thought  of  how  many  people  in 
American  society  would  lose  their  heads  if  such  pun- 
ishment were  meted  out  in  the  United  States  to  those 
who  had  slandered  others. 

"  Don't  worry  about  our  enemies,"  he  said,  "  some 
day  we  will  win  them  as  we  have  won  you,  for  some 
day  they  will  need  us  and  the  doctor  will  go  to  them 
and  their  children  will  come  to  our  schools,  or  we  will 
do  something  to  make  their  land  valuable,  and  then 
they  will  understand." 

As  the  Stewarts,  accompanied  by  Paul  and  Chu, 
walked  about  the  surrounding  country,  they  often  went 
to  a  lake  about  a  mile  outside  of  the  city.  It  was  very 
shallow  and  covered  thousands  of  acres  of  land.  It 
was  surrounded  by  canals  which  seemed  to  run  every- 
where. 

"  Why  should  not  this  lake  be  drained,"  Paul  asked 
Chu,  "  and  the  land  given  back  to  the  people  ?  It  is 
sheer  waste  in  this  thickly  populated  district." 

"  Sure  enough,"  Mr.  Stewart  commented,  when  he 
was  told  what  Paul  had  said  to  Chu. 

"  It  cannot  be  done,"  Chu  replied,  "  if  you  were  to 
touch  this  lake  there  would  be  an  uprising  in  the  city, 


"  THE  POWERS  THAT  BE  "  75 

for,  as  you  know,  the  people  believe  that  the  wind 
and  water  gods  reside  in  the  earth.  Therefore,  they 
disturb  the  water  and  earth  as  little  as  possible,  and 
to  interfere  with  such  a  body  of  water  as  this,  would, 
in  their  minds,  be  certain  to  bring  the  wrath  of  the 
gods  upon  them." 

Paul  laughed.  "  I  am  more  and  more  impressed," 
he  said,  "  that  the  religions  of  China  contribute  to  the 
poverty  of  the  people  because  they  do  not  deal  with 
the  vital  things  of  life.  The  religions  of  other  lands 
augment  the  prosperity  of  their  followers.  I  feel  sure 
that  if  they  found  that  the  draining  of  this  lake  would 
give  them  a  great  tract  of  land  where  food  could  be 
produced,  they  would  soon  get  over  any  fear  of  the 
wind  and  water  gods." 

"  It  would  be  useless,"  Chu  answered.  "  Then, 
again,"  he  went  on,  "  this  water  is  not  always  so  shal- 
low as  it  is  now.  When  the  dikes  overflow  and  break, 
this  whole  place,  and  even  the  city,  is  flooded." 

"  But  why  should  they  overflow  ?  Why  should 
great  floods  come  and  great  districts  go  to  waste  in 
these  days?  Do  you  mean  to  say  it  is  only  because 
of  breaks  in  the  dikes  and  an  inadequate  diking  sys- 
tem? If  so,  then  we  must  change  it." 

Chu  laughed. 

"  Ah,  I  have  heard  men  from  the  West  talk  before," 
he  said,  "  but  my  land  cannot  change.  It  is  utterly 
foolish  for  you  to  talk  about  it,  for  this  condition  will 
continue." 

Paul  went  often  to  the  Yamen,  and  because  of  this 
companionship  the  magistrate  soon  developed  many 


76  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

progressive  ideas.  When  Paul  urged  him  to  correct 
the  insanitary  conditions  and  pointed  out  to  him  the 
great  evil  of  the  opium  habit  and  also  the  lack  of 
schools,  the  magistrate  held  up  his  hand  and  shrugged 
his  shoulders. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  we  have  been  thus  for  centuries. 
You  cannot  change  us  in  a  day.  Besides,  I  shall  only 
be  in  this  town  for  a  little  while;  then  I  shall  pass  on 
to  another  city." 

Paul  was  always  polite  in  his  dealings  with  the 
magistrate,  and  with  all  apologies  he  now  said :  "  But 
before  you  pass  on  to  another  city  do  something  for 
this  one.  For  twenty  years  you  have  been  passing 
in  and  out  various  cities,  haven't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  resided  in  more  than  twelve  localities 
in  that  time,"  said  the  magistrate. 

"  And  what  have  you  really  done  ?  "  asked  Paul 
apologetically.  "  You  have  beheaded  a  few  beggars 
and  have  put  the  iron  brand  on  the  faces  of  a  few 
adulterers,  you  have  settled  a  few  disputes,  but  with 
all  apologies  I  ask  you  what  have  you  really  done  ?  " 

The  old  man  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said,  "  Yes. 
What  have  I  done,  what  have  I  done  ?  "  Then  there 
came  that  look  of  action  which  is  peculiar  to  the 
Oriental,  and  Redmond  believed  he  had  an  ally  who 
would  help  him  in  his  plans. 


XI 
A   NATION'S  CURSE 

THE  Stewarts  were  greatly  impressed  with  all 
they  saw  of  Paul's  work,  and  the  closer  Mr. 
Stewart  came  in  touch  with  the  officials  and 
leaders,  the  more  he  realized  its  far-reaching  effect. 
They  felt  that  they  could  not  remain  longer,  for  their 
visit  had  run  into  weeks,  so  decided  to  go  on  to  the 
West  and  to  the  North  and  return  for  a  later  visit  with 
Paul. 

Paul  looked  forward  with  the  keenest  anticipation 
to  their  return,  and  in  the  meantime  applied  himself 
to  the  task  in  hand.  He  saw  the  magistrate  constantly, 
and  realized  that  he  had  put  a  question  into  his  heart 
that  night  when  he  talked  to  him  about  doing  some- 
thing worth  while,  that  was  to  eventually  bear  fruit. 

Paul  had  constantly  urged  him  to  rid  the  city  and 
the  district  of  the  opium  traffic.  He  had  intense  feel- 
ing on  the  subject  and  every  time  he  talked  with  the 
magistrate  he  manifested  how  deeply  he  felt  on  the 
whole  question. 

One  night  the  old  man  said  to  Paul  when  he  had 
invited  him  to  a  many  course  dinner :  "  Mr.  Redmond, 
I  cannot  do  all  the  things  you  have  asked  me  to  do. 
But  as  you  have  pointed  out,  my  country  just  now  is 
stirred  over  the  opium  evil.  The  poppy  grows  over 

77 


at  least  half  of  these  broad  fields.  I  am  going  to  issue 
an  edict  declaring  that  next  year  the  poppy  cannot  be 
planted,  and  I  am  also  considering  ordering  the  opium 
shops  closed  at  the  New  Year." 

Paul  sprang  up,  and  shook  the  hand  of  the  magis- 
trate in  hearty  fashion. 

"  Do  it,  do  it !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  Ah,"  answered  the  old  man,  "  but  you  know  not 
what  it  will  cost.  The  people  may  drive  you  from  the 
city,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  they  may  turn  against 
me.  Remember,  it  is  the  rich  man  yonder  in  his 
garden  that  gets  the  biggest  revenue  from  opium.  If 
we  strike  at  this  thing,  we  know  not  what  it  may 
mean." 

They  talked  about  it  day  after  day  and  still  the 
magistrate  hesitated;  not  that  he  did  not  believe  that 
the  edict  should  be  issued,  but  because  he  was  afraid 
of  the  price  it  would  cost  him. 

Paul  had  come  to  look  upon  the  opium  habit  as  the 
greatest  sin  of  China.  The  first  den  he  visited  had 
impressed  its  horror  indelibly  upon  his  mind.  It  was 
not  a  large  room  and  there  were  only  five  settees,  made 
from  the  black  walnut  of  the  country.  Each  of  these 
were  about  six  feet  in  length  and  four  feet  high,  and 
held  several  cushions.  In  the  center  was  a  small  table 
about  a  foot  in  height.  On  either  side  of  this  small 
table  and  resting  their  heads  on  hard  round  pillows 
made  of  bamboo,  were  the  smokers.  Their  long  pipes 
were  placed  over  the  lamp  in  the  center  of  the  table, 
and  as  he  entered  the  room  he  noticed  that  some  of  the 
men  were  molding  the  opium  in  their  fingers.  Smoke 


A  NATION'S  CURSE  79 

was  rising  from  nearly  every  pipe.  Several  had  just 
commenced  and  were  nervous  and  eager  for  the  fumes, 
while  others  were  talking  garrulously,  and  still  others 
were  just  entering  upon  the  sleep  that  would  bring 
them  the  dreams  that  only  opium  can  produce.  As  he 
looked  about  the  room  he  realized  the  terrible  import 
of  the  scene,  for  some  of  these  young  men  were 
acquiring  the  habit.  The  faces  and  bodies  of  the  others 
showed  the  terrible  ravages  of  this  worst  of  vices.  He 
had  visited  a  few  opium  dens  in  San  Francisco,  but 
when  he  found  that  here  in  a  city  of  fifty  thousand 
people,  there  were  several  hundred  of  these  places, 
and  that  in  many  homes  opium  was  used  constantly, 
he  realized  how  completely  this  drug  had  enslaved 
China.  Already  its  death  knell  had  been  sounded,  but 
he  knew  that  before  China  would  triumph  she  must 
have  many  friends  to  help  her  in  the  fight  she  was 
making  against  it.  Again  and  again  he  pledged  him- 
self to  help  in  the  effort  to  free  her  from  this  terrible 
curse. 

News  came  from  the  South  and  West  that  some  of 
the  magistrates  in  these  districts  were  making  a  fight 
against  opium.  Paul  and  Chu  looked  for  the  papers 
that  gave  any  of  this  news  and  bought  anti-opium  lit- 
erature and  literally  besieged  the  old  magistrate.  Paul 
showed  him  that  no  great  reform  could  be  made  in 
any  city  as  long  as  there  was  such  an  outstanding  evil 
among  the  people,  and  pointed  out  that  he  was  trying 
to  do  great  things  for  Fou  Cheo,  but  could  not  accom- 
plish them  unless  there  was  a  real  reform  in  the  city's 
life.  At  last  he  persuaded  the  official  to  send  out  the 


80     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

edict  declaring  that  in  the  next  year  the  poppy  could 
not  be  planted  in  the  Fou  Cheo  district,  and  that 
at  the  new  year  all  the  opium  dens  in  the  city  must 
be  closed. 

Paul  found  that  he  had  never  known  hate  and  bit- 
terness in  all  its  full  passion  until  he  saw  an  exhibition 
of  it  on  the  night  after  the  edict  had  gone  out  over 
the  district.  He  heard  the  call,  the  cry  and  the  snarl 
of  the  people  as  the  crowd  gathered.  Everywhere 
throughout  the  city  there  were  rumblings  and  murmur- 
ings.  Word  came  to  the  mission  house  that  two  for- 
eigners had  been  seen  moving  about  the  opium  dens 
and  the  temples. 

At  first  the  outcries  seemed  only  incidental  and 
sporadic,  but  soon  there  was  rioting  before  the  mission 
house,  and  the  crowd  finally  besieged  the  Yamen,  de- 
manding that  the  edict  be  recalled,  and  threatening 
the  magistrate  with  reporting  him  to  the  Viceroy. 
They  declared  that  they  would  commit  that  direst  of 
crimes  of  China, — that  they  would  drive  the  official 
out  of  the  district  or  kill  him  unless  he  granted  their 
request. 

After  the  crowds  had  left  the  mission  house  and  had 
moved  on  to  the  Yamen,  Paul  decided  to  go  to  his 
friend  there.  He  felt  that  he  must  not  be  alone  in  the 
face  of  this  mob,  which  was  threatening  vengeance 
upon  him.  He  well  knew  what  it  meant  to  venture  out 
in  the  face  of  a  Chinese  mob,  for  this  was  not  the  first 
one  he  had  encountered. 

The  old  Chinese  preacher  and  Chu  came  into  the 
room. 


A  NATION'S  CURSE  81 

"If  you  are  going,  we  will  go  with  you,"  they  said. 

"  Are  you  not  afraid?  "  asked  Paul. 

The  old  preacher  smiled.  "  Do  you  go  in  fear  or 
in  faith?" 

Paul  returned  the  smile,  and  said :  "  I  go  with  a 
mission  and  if  you  go  that  way,  you  may  come  with 
me." 

They  were  jeered  and  hooted  as  they  passed  through 
the  streets. 

"  That  is  the  man  who  is  responsible,"  the  crowd 
cried,  "  let  us  kill  the  foreign  devil." 

Paul  did  not  retreat.  On  the  contrary  he  smiled 
his  way  through  the  mob,  and  spoke  to  this  one  and 
to  that  one  whom  he  knew,  and  when  they  spat  upon 
him  and  cursed  him  he  only  smiled  back  at  them, 
proving  what  a  reliable  weapon  a  smile  is,  in  the  face 
of  a  Chinese  mob. 

They  found  the  courtyard  of  the  Yamen  filled  with 
hundreds  of  jeering  and  angry  men.  Paul  quickly 
passed  through  the  courtyard  into  the  interior  and 
joined  his  friend,  the  magistrate,  while  the  old  evange- 
list and  Chu  mingled  with  the  crowd,  listening  to  what 
was  said  and  speaking  to  those  whom  they  knew. 

Finally  an  old  shriveled-up  man  who  had  known  the 
evils  of  opium  stood  up  on  one  of  the  stone  lions  in 
front  of  the  door. 

"  Men,"  he  said,  "  I  wonder  if  you  will  let  an  old 
opium  devil  talk  to  you.  See  this  old  skin  of  mine  that 
seems  dead,  and  these  wrinkles  and  these  thumbs, — 
well,  they  tell  the  story.  As  long  as  I  live  the  stain 
of  opium  will  mark  the  thumb  and  first  finger.  For 


twenty  years  of  my  life  I  smoked  opium.  I  know 
what  it  is  to  have  the  veins  burn  hot,  the  blood  scorch 
and  the  flesh  shrivel  for  the  want  of  opium.  I  know 
how  it  is  when  you  recline  beside  the  small  opium  table 
and  the  first  few  draughts  are  taken,  for  it  is  then  that 
the  visions  come  and  the  dreams  that  carry  you  to  the 
homes  of  your  earliest  ancestors  and  to  those  of  Vice- 
roys and  Emperors.  Ah,  men,  I  know  why  it  is  that 
when  men  want  opium  they  sell  their  birthrights  for 
it  and  go  out  as  beggars,  and  why  they  hate  anyone 
who  tries  to  keep  them  from  having  it. 

"  See  that  beggar  yonder  on  the  edge  of  the  crowd 
hooting  and  jeering  at  the  magistrate  and  us  who  are 
trying  to  save  him?  Why  should  he  jeer?  Only  ten 
years  ago  he  had  a  good  home,  a  good  business  and 
all  that  he  desired.  Now  they  are  all  gone  because 
he  smoked  opium.  Men,  you  must  be  wise.  You  are 
rioting;  in  the  wrong  place.  The  magistrate  and  this 
man  whom  you  call  '  foreign  devil,'  and  whom  you 
have  jeered  and  cursed,  are  your  friends.  They  want 
you  to  produce  life  and  not  death.  When  the  opium 
dens  are  closed  the  money  that  goes  into  them  and 
into  the  pockets  of  a  few  rich  men  you  may  keep  for 
food,  clothes  and  comfort.  I  am  an  old  man  and  you 
can  kill  me  if  you  will,  for  this  old  opium-shriveled 
carcass  of  mine  amounts  to  little,  but  tonight  you  have 
insulted  your  official.  Now  that  you  see  that  you  are 
wrong,  why  not  call  for  him  and  make  all  this  right 
instead  of  persisting  in  evil  ?  " 

He  did  not  finish,  for  every  Chinese  mob,  though 
it  may  have  evil  leaders,  has  a  strong  element  of 


.  A  NATION'S  CURSE  83 

justice.  The  stable  element  began  to  call  for  the  mag- 
istrate, and  those  who  had  been  the  leaders  dared  not 
lift  their  voices  in  remonstrance. 

The  official  had  been  exceedingly  frightened,  but  he 
now  came  out  to  be  hailed  and  praised,  and  the  leaders 
of  the  mob  asked  forgiveness. 

"  You  are  all  forgiven,"  the  official  said.  "  There 
will  be  no  punishment,  for  you  did  not  understand." 

Then  someone  in  the  crowd  called  out,  "  The  for- 
eigner !  the  foreigner !  " 

Paul  at  first  refused  to  come,  but  the  old  magistrate 
came  forward. 

"  Friends,"  he  said,  "  if  this  mighty  thing  is  to 
be  done  for  Fou  Cheo  and  this  district,  which  at  first 
you  disapproved  and  now  you  approve,  it  is  done  not 
because  of  me,  but  because  of  this  young  foreigner." 

Again  and  again  they  called  for  Paul,  who  finally 
turned  to  the  old  evangelist,  and  said :  "  You  know  I 
cannot  make  a  speech  in  Chinese  to  this  crowd.  Tell 
them  for  me  that  I  love  them  and  that  together  we 
want  to  do  certain  things  for  this  district,  and  that  we 
hope  that  in  the  future  they  will  not  be  angry  but  will 
first  seek  to  understand,  and  that  when  they  understand 
we  are  very  sure  they  will  not  disapprove." 

The  crowd  was  enthusiastic  over  what  Paul  had 
said.  Darkness  had  settled  down  and  their  faces  could 
not  be  seen  in  the  flickering  candle  lights  of  the  Yamen. 
The  little  hand  lanterns  that  some  of  the  crowd  car- 
ried furnished  only  inadequate  light,  but  as  Paul  stood 
up  beside  the  old  evangelist  on  the  stone  lion,  he  thought 
he  saw  in  the  darkness  two  men  dressed  as  foreigners, 


84   THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

and  heard  a  voice  cry  out,  "  if  this  foreigner  is  all 
right,  why  not  kill  the  others  who  incited  the  mob." 
But  in  the  congratulations  that  were  being  heaped  upon 
him,  he  forgot  it  and  he  turned  back  to  his  home,  realiz- 
ing that  a  fight  was  on.  The  first  battle  had  been  won, 
but  what  a  fight  still  remained !  He  had  not  dreamed 
that  the  trail  to  the  hearts  of  men  could  hold  such 
battles  and  such  victories. 


XII 
EXPLANATIONS 

WHEN  Paul  Redmond  went  back  to  Fou  Cheo 
and  his  work,  he  at  least  had  the  motive  of 
a  great  task  which  helped  him  to  bear  his 
sorrow  and  ease  the  pain.  It  was  not  so  with  Madeline 
Leonard.  She  was  crushed  when  Paul  left  her,  for 
the  question  that  came  to  her  a  thousand  times  that 
day  was,  "  whether  she  should  not  follow  him  and  tell 
him  that  she  was  wrong?  "  But  the  more  she  saw  of 
Japan  and  the  sights  that  were  pointed  out  to  her,  the 
more  she  felt  the  strangeness  of  the  life.  The  Orient 
held  no  spell  for  her.  It  shocked  and  stifled,  rather 
than  charmed,  her.  The  only  thing  that  held  her  was 
her  love  for  Paul.  Again  and  again  she  decided  to 
follow  him,  but  her  dislike  of  the  country  and  the 
people  was  too  strong  upon  her.  Then  the  terrible 
question  regarding  the  unnamed  woman  had  never 
been  answered  in  the  depths  of  her  soul.  She  at  last 
left  for  New  York  and  home,  where  she  knew  she  must 
face  a  thousand  queries  that  would  be  embarrassing 
to  her,  and  which,  if  she  answered  them,  would  tend 
to  blacken  the  name  of  the  man  she  loved. 

The  person  she  dreaded  most  to  meet  upon  her 
return  to  New  York  was  Paul's  father.  Robert  Red- 
mond had  heard  that  Paul  and  Madeline  had  not  mar- 
ried and  he  had  rejoiced  in  this  news,  although  he 

85 


86     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

noticed  that  those  who  told  him  seemed  to  be  holding 
something  from  him.  He  asked  his  secretary  what  he 
knew  about  the  matter  and  instructed  him  to  investi- 
gate. But  the  investigation  did  not  prove  satisfactory 
and  he  was  never  able  to  get  at  the  facts.  It  seemed 
that  there  was  something  that  his  friends  did  not  want 
to  tell  him.  When  he  heard  that  Madeline  was  at  home, 
he  immediately  called  her  up  over  the  telephone,  and 
asked  if  he  might  see  her.  There  was  a  little  hesi- 
tancy in  her  consent,  for  she  was  not  sure  that  she  was 
ready  to  see  him.  All  the  way  home  she  had  asked 
herself  again  and  again — "  What  can  I  say  to  Paul's 
father?" 

There  was  a  great  contrast  between  the  pair  as  they 
stood  facing  each  other.  Mr.  Redmond  was  six  feet 
tall,  straight,  and  well-proportioned,  save  for  a  little 
corpulency.  He  could  not  be  called  gray.  His  eyes 
were  clear,  but  his  face  was  creased  and  chiseled, 
showing  the  long  fight  he  had  made. 

Madeline  had  lost  the  color  that  was  one  of  her  chief 
charms,  and  the  smile  that  had  made  her  so  beloved 
and  attracted  so  many,  was  absent. 

When  she  lifted  her  eyes  to  Mr.  Redmond  they  re- 
vealed the  stress  of  emotion,  and  deep  sorrow. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  I  have  come  to  congratulate 
you,  and  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  think  you  have 
done  right." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Redmond,  I  am  so  glad  if  you  think  so, 
for  I  have  dreaded  meeting  you." 

"  Dreaded  meeting  me  ?  Why,  do  you  not  remember 
how  I  pleaded  with  you  not  to  go,  and  told  you  you 


EXPLANATIONS  87 

were  the  last  tie  that  held  that  boy  of  mine  to  this 
land,  and  that  if  you  should  ever  go  out  there,  he  would 
never  return  ?  You  knew,  Madeline,  that  I  consented 
but  for  one  reason,  and  one  only,  and  that  was  that 
you  promised  to  win  him  back."  Then  he  reached  out 
as  if  to  take  her  in  his  arms,  but  instead  he  took  her 
hands  in  his. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  you  are  the  only  child  I  have 
now  and  if  I  should  die  my  fortune  will  go  to  you, 
unless" — and  his  face  again  grew  stern  as  he  continued, 
— "  you  should  go  out  and  follow  Paul  in  his  mad- 
ness, and  then  it  will  go  to  neither  of  you.  I  know 
you  have  enough  to  keep  you,  but  I  have  loved  you, 
too,  and  one  of  the  greatest  sorrows  that  Paul's  mad- 
ness brought  upon  me  has  been  the  fact  that  you  two 
have  separated.  But  I'm  glad  you  did  not  marry  him." 

Madeline  looked  at  him  wonderingly,  and  as  he 
went  on  she  knew  instinctively  that  he  did  not  know 
the  reason  for  her  return. 

"  Mr.  Redmond,"  she  timidly  said,  "  you  cannot 
know  the  reason  of  my  coming  back  alone." 

"The  reason — the  reason?"  he  inquired.  "What 
reason  could  there  have  been  other  than  this  utter  mad- 
ness of  Paul's,  and  the  fact  that  he  persits  in  staying 
out  there  against  our  wishes.  You  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  there  is  some  other  reason  than  that,  do  you?  " 

For  a  moment  the  proud  father's  nature  asserted 
itself. 

"  Paul  is  an  honorable  man,  Madeline.  He  may 
have  been  mad  on  this  one  subject,  but  his  honor  has 
never  been  questioned." 


88     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

The  blood  had  crept  slowly  to  the  girl's  white  face. 

"  But  it  has  been,"  she  said,  and — her  voice  was 
tense  with  emotion. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  something  has  touched 
his  reputation,"  said  Mr.  Redmond. 

For  a  moment  Madeline's  attitude  became  defiant. 

"  I  heard,"  she  said,  "  while  I  was  waiting  for  him 
in  Japan,  that  he  had  been  seen  fighting  over  a  woman 
of  the  streets  and  that  he  kissed  her.  I  want  you  to 
know  that  this  is  one  of  the  chief  reasons  why  I  did 
not  marry  him.  It  was  not  alone  because  he  was  a 
missionary,  but  it  was  this  awful  thing  of  his  kissing 
this  woman  before  all  the  people  on  the  ship.  More- 
over, he  confessed  it  to  me." 

For  a  moment  Robert  Redmond's  anger  was  uncon- 
trolled. Then  he  commanded  her  as  he  would  one  of 
his  office  force.  "  Sit  down,  Madeline,  you  must  tell 
me  all  about  it.  There  must  be  a  terrible  mistake 
somewhere,  but  I  want  to  get  at  the  facts.  I  am,  of 
course,  interested  in  your  feelings,  but  you  must  realize 
that  Paul  bears  my  name,  and  you  must  tell  me  ex- 
actly what  happened  and  then  let  me  judge." 

In  the  story  Madeline  told  Redmond  she  related  only 
the  facts  and  tried  to  conceal  her  own  feelings  and 
her  indignation  at  the  seeming  insult  which  had  been 
heaped  upon  her.  She  told  him  as  clearly  as  she  could 
what  Paul  had  said,  and  that  he  had  told  her  that  some 
day  she  would  be  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  had  fought 
for  a  woman  who  had  no  friend,  and  that  he  had 
pleaded  for  a  chance. 

"  And  you  were  not  willing  to  give  him  that  chance, 


EXPLANATIONS  89 

because  you  could  not  trust  him?"  came  the  father's 
quick  question. 

"  Oh,  I  could  trust  him  in  New  York  or  I  could 
trust  him  in  a  land  I  knew.  It  was  not  only  what 
this  woman  did,  Mr.  Redmond,  it's  the  Orient — the 
Orient.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  would  go  mad  among 
those  temples  and  the  stench  and  color  of  it  all." 

"  Madeline,  if  you  left  because  of  the  land,  that  was 
all  right.  But  you  can  trust  the  word  of  a  Redmond, 
for  that  word  is  a  word  of  honor,"  was  the  proud 
reply.  "  I  don't  know  how  Paul  could  have  become 
mixed  up  with  a  woman  such  as  you  describe,  but  if 
he  said  it  was  all  right,  that's  enough  for  me.  I  am 
sure  his  name  will  be  cleared.  I  am  sure  that  some 
day  we  will  know  the  facts  and  I  am  going  to  discover 
them." 

"  You  will  tell  me  who  the  woman  is  if  you  find  out, 
won't  you  ?  "  asked  Madeline. 

Mr.  Redmond  hesitated.  "  No,  I  think  not.  I  feel 
that  I  would  be  interfering  with  something  in  which 
I  have  no  right.  If  Paul  did  not  want  to  tell  you  the 
facts  neither  will  I.  But  I  want  to  say  this,  Madeline, 
that  I  am  glad  you  are  not  married  to  Paul  after  all, 
and  now  that  there  is  this  other  complication  I  feel 
that  some  day  we  can  call  him  back  and  that  we  can 
win  him.  If  this  had  not  happened  and  you  had  mar- 
ried him  we  should  have  failed, — failed,"  and  as  he  said 
"  failed  "  the  second  time  a  sadness  crept  into  Red- 
mond's voice  and  face.  Robert  Redmond  loved  his 
son  across  the  sea.  He  stood  up  and  looked  at  Made- 
line. 


90     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  we  must  not  fail.  He  thinks 
he  is  following  God,  and  I  wonder  sometimes  whether 
he  is  or  not,  but,  Madeline,  need  a  man  leave  the  path 
of  wealth  to  follow  God?  I  believe  I  have  followed 
Him.  True,  I  have  done  many  things  which  are  ques- 
tioned in  these  later  days,  but  is  not  the  securing  of 
money  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world?  I  want  you 
to  know,  girl,  that  I  look  at  it  as  greater  than  any 
profession.  I  have  tried  to  be  honorable,  according 
to  my  light,  for  it  is  the  work  which  my  ancestors 
have  given  me  to  do,  and  given  him  to  do,  and  a  man 
cannot  be  indifferent  to  that  which  has  been  thrust 
upon  him." 

Madeline  looked  with  wonder  upon  Mr.  Redmond. 
He  was  not  a  man  to  speak  frequently,  or  at  length. 
She  saw  how  he  was  suffering,  and  that  though  he 
had  disinherited  his  son  and  had  thrust  him  from  his 
home,  thus  forcing  him  to  live  on  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year,  Paul  still  held  the  biggest  place  in  his 
father's  heart.  A  father  may  drive  his  son  from  him, 
but  that  which  has  gone  out  in  blood  and  flesh  from 
father  to  son  carries  with  it  the  heart's  deepest  affec- 
tion to  life's  end.  So  it  was  with  Mr.  Redmond.  He 
loved  his  son,  although  he  felt  that  he  must  break 
him  and  insist  upon  his  accepting  the  life  he  had 
planned  for  him. 

Mr.  Redmond  left  Madeline  saying,  "  You  must  not 
go  out  among  our  friends  with  that  look  in  your  eyes, 
for,  of  course,  I  do  not  want  this  known.  You  know 
how  these  people  gossip,  and  I  will  consider  it  a  per- 


EXPLANATIONS  91 

sonal  favor  if  you  will  save  me  and  Paul  from  any 
blot  upon  our  name." 

Madeline  raised  her  face  to  his,  "  Do  you  think  I 
would  do  that,  Mr.  Redmond  ?  I  will  go  out  and  bear 
my  sorrow  and  no  one  shall  know  that  I  am  longing 
for  him,  and,  although  I  feel  that  he  has  wronged  me, 
yet  I  wonder  constantly  if  I  have  not  wronged  him." 

Thus  while  two  lives  were  separated  by  continents 
and  seas,  the  yearning  of  love  was  still  in  the  hearts  of 
both. 


XIII 
THE  VENGEANCE  OF  HATE 

WHILE  Madeline  was  seeking  to  readjust  her 
life  to  the  new  conditions  that  had  been 
brought  about  by  her  rejection  of  Paul,  he 
was  unconsciously  facing  many  dangers.  No  fight  is 
won  in  an  hour.  A  spirit  of  friendliness  often  passes 
quickly,  while  hatred  endures.  Paul  had  made  many 
friends  on  the  night  the  mob  gathered,  but  he  had 
not  seen  the  hilltop  priest  when  he  turned  from  the 
cheering  crowd.  This  priest  had  been  one  of  the  in- 
citers  of  the  mob  and  had  gone  away  with  bitterness 
in  his  heart.  He  had  been  the  constant  companion  of 
the  two  men  Paul  had  fought  on  the  ship. 

While  Paul  and  his  friends  were  rejoicing  over  the 
victory  gained,  two  other  conferences  were  being  held. 
One  took  place  in  the  back  room  of  the  city  temple, 
where  a  half  dozen  priests  were  gathered;  the  other 
in  one  of  the  opium  dens  among  the  opium  dealers,  the 
sellers  of  incense,  and  traffickers  in  vice.  The  priests 
had  planned  to  rid  the  city  and  the  district  in  a  single 
hour  of  what  they  called  the  hated  foreign  religion 
and  the  reforms  it  was  bringing,  but  now  they  knew 
a  long  fight  was  before  them,  for  they  realized  that 
the  outburst  of  the  hour  had  failed.  But  hate  takes 
no  account  of  time,  it  is  willing  to  go  on  biding  its 

time  and  secretly  doing  its  insidious  work. 

92 


THE  VENGEANCE  OF  HATE  93 

"  This  attempt  has  failed,"  said  the  priest  of  the 
hilltop  temple,  "  but  the  gods  will  bring  success.  We 
must  now  fight  under  the  guise  of  friendliness.  To- 
night, the  mob  brought  sympathy  to  these  people,  but 
we  must  now  lay  our  plans  to  undermine  their  very 
foundations,  and  we  must  seem  to  become  friends 
with  them.  People  whom  we  can  trust  shall  go  to  their 
schools  and  hospitals,  for  we  must  know  everything 
they  do." 

The  opium  dealers,  with  their  foreign  confederates, 
were  even  more  bitter. 

"  There  are  two  places  where  we  must  strike,"  they 
said,  "  first  at  character,  and  then  at  life.  We  will 
take  their  characters  away  from  them,  if  we  can,  and 
if,  perchance,  that  should  fail,  then  " — and  a  shrug  of 
the  shoulders  indicated  sinister  prophecy  of  the  future. 

In  a  small,  secluded  mission  house,  feeling  secure  in 
their  victory,  the  little  group  was  rejoicing,  and,  as  is 
too  often  the  case  with  reformers,  believed  that  a  single 
battle  was  to  settle  the  fight.  While  their  enemies 
planned  for  the  future,  they  planned  not  at  all,  and 
were  surprised  in  the  next  few  days,  when  many  priests 
came  to  the  hospital.  The  friendliness  of  the  men 
from  the  opium  dens  astonished  them  and  Chu  and 
Paul  rejoiced  in  this,  but  the  old  evangelist  shook  his 
head. 

"  Remember,"  he  said,  "  when  the  panther  licks 
your  hand  his  teeth  are  set." 

A  few  weeks  passed,  then  the  magistrate  came  to 
Paul  one  night. 

"  I  like  not  some  of  the  things  that  I  hear,"  he  said, 


94     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

— I  trust  you  will  be  careful.  I  think  it  would  be  well 
for  you  to  limit  your  clinic  to  men  only.  I  hear  it 
questioned  why  so  many  women  come  to  the  hospital, 
and  I  hear  suspicious  things  about  some  of  the  children 
who  have  gone  there.  They  claim  that  their  spirits 
have  been  stolen  away.  I  speak  as  a  friend." 

Every  care  and  every  precaution  was  taken,  but  hate 
was  doing  its  work.  While  there  was  no  open  out- 
break, the  insidious  tongues  of  those  who  had  sworn 
vengeance  were  becoming  more  and  more  active. 

The  temple  priests  were  gathered  about  their  vege- 
tarian meal  one  night. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  priest  from  the  hilltop  temple,  "  the 
knife  may  be  rusty,  but  the  tongue  is  ever  keen-edged 
and  we  will  bide  our  time.  If  we  cannot  drive  them 
out,  we  will  close  the  doors  as  they  pass." 

Paul  went  about  his  work  with  vigor,  and  worked 
harder  than  he  had  ever  worked  before.  His  inherit- 
ance of  energy  was  manifesting  itself.  He  made  a 
careful  study  of  the  entire  district,  and  started  schools, 
not  only  in  Fou  Cheo,  but  planned  that  as  soon  as 
possible,  there  should  be  schools  over  the  entire  dis- 
trict. He  went  regularly  with  the  old  evangelist  to 
the  out-stations,  encouraging  the  people  to  bring  their 
sick  to  the  dispensary.  He  noticed,  when  first  the 
schools  were  opened,  that  a  great  many  children  came, 
but  after  a  few  weeks  the  number  gradually  dimin- 
ished. Paul  thought  this  came  from  loss  of  interest, 
but  it  proved  to  be  the  work  of  those  who  had  set 
themselves  against  his  efforts.  Doors  that  were  open 
began  to  close,  and  those  that  were  closed  seemed 


THE  VENGEANCE  OF  HATE  95 

never  to  open.  The  novelty  wore  off  his  work  and  he 
settled  down  to  the  routine.  The  test  is  not  the  first 
trumpet-call  to  battle,  but  the  long,  hard  days  of  picket- 
duty,  and  the  trying  hours  when  one  knows  not 
whether  the  fight  has  been  won  or  lost.  However,  the 
routine  was  soon  to  be  enlivened. 

One  day  Paul  saw  some  of  the  priests  and  opium 
dealers  in  the  company  of  two  foreigners.  Men  who 
spoke  English  were  so  rare  in  Fou  Cheo  that  Paul's 
inclination  was  to  go  directly  to  them,  but  he  was  kept 
from  doing  so  by  Chu,  who  was  with  him. 

"You  had  better  not,"  he  said;  "you  would  not 
want  to  be  seen  with  those  men.  They  are  traffickers 
in  women." 

Their  faces  seemed  familiar,  and  for  a  moment  Paul 
wondered  if  they  could  possibly  be  the  men  he  fought 
when  he  protected  the  girl  on  the  ship,  but  put  this 
thought  from  him  as  improbable. 

Paul  saw  that  the  opium  dealers  were  pointing  him 
out  to  them,  and  he  wondered  if  other  difficulties  were 
to  be  added  to  those  which  he  had  to  face.  Rumors 
of  hostility  toward  the  work  of  the  missionaries  were 
growing  with  each  passing  day,  and  children  called 
him  "  the  foreign  devil  "  as  he  passed  along  the  streets. 
The  efforts  of  the  magistrate  to  overcome  this  antago- 
nism proved  unavailing.  Once  he  was  stoned,  and  he 
was  continually  cautioned  by  his  friends  to  use  the 
very  greatest  care  for  his  personal  safety,  but  he  con- 
tinued to  go  about  his  work  as  if  he  had  heard  none 
of  these  things. 

He  noticed  that  a  number  of  Chinese  came  quite 


96     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

frequently  to  his  house,  and  on  more  than  one  occa- 
sion he  found  some  of  them  in  the  little  kitchen  where 
his  food  was  prepared  by  the  Chinese  cook,  who  had 
been  a  farmer  boy,  and  had  previously  worked  for 
other  foreigners.  Paul  rather  objected  to  having 
these  strangers  come  and  go  about  the  entire  house, 
but  he  soon  learned  that  it  was  impossible  to  stop  it. 

One  night  he  came  in  from  his  day's  work  very  tired 
— so  tired  that  he  did  not  care  for  food,  but  he  knew 
he  would  have  to  eat  something  or  offend  the  cook.  So 
he  tasted  the  food,  but  very  sparingly.  Soon  after 
eating  an  illness  came  over  him  that  worried  him,  and 
Chu  was  alarmed  when  he  saw  the  color  of  his  friend's 
face.  The  doctor  took  one  look  at  him.  "  You  have 
been  poisoned !  "  he  said.  Paul  recalled  that  some  of 
the  food  had  tasted  peculiarly.  Even  in  his  illness  he 
warned  them  not  to  mention  the  fact  to  anyone.  In 
a  little  while  the  effects  of  the  poisoning  passed  away, 
and  when  he  was  able  to  talk,  he  called  the  doctor  and 
Chu. 

"  You  see  the  treachery  we  are  facing,"  he  said. 
"  These  people  are  bound  to  get  rid  of  us.  They  must 
not  know  of  this.  I  am  going  on  the  street  tomorrow 
as  if  nothing  has  happened." 

The  poison  had  been  placed  in  Paul's  food  by  a  man 
who  had  become  friendly  with  the  cook,  who  was  thus 
unwittingly  used.  This  man  had  been  employed  by 
Paul's  enemies. 

News  of  the  missionary's  death  was  anxiously 
awaited  in  one  of  the  opium  dens,  and  the  next  morning 
the  would-be  murderer  went  to  the  mission  house  and 


THE  VENGEANCE  OF  HATE  97 

was  surprised  to  see  Paul  about.  He  artfully  inquired 
of  the  cook  whether  Paul  had  eaten  his  supper  the 
night  before,  and  the  cook  replied  that  he  had  eaten 
of  everything.  Then  he  returned  with  his  message  to 
the  priests  and  opium  dealers. 

"  His  god  protects  him,"  was  their  reply,  "  or  he 
himself  must  be  a  god,  or  he  could  not  have  stood  such 
a  dose  of  poison  as  was  given  him  last  night." 

To  the  Chinese  this  was  reason  enough  for  the  fight 
to  be  given  up,  but  when  the  intrigue  of  the  Orient 
and  Occident  unites  in  the  effort,  Satan  himself 
might  well  be  envious  of  the  plans  devised  to  mar  the 
progress  of  good. 


XIV 
RELIGIONS  ANCIENT 

PAUL'S  enemies  had  not  made  definite  plans  as 
to  how  he  was  to  be  removed  from  Fou  Cheo, 
but  they  had  determined  that  he  must  go.  They 
finally  decided  that  the  surest  way  to  reach  him  was 
through  his  friends,  and  they  knew  that  the  one  friend 
whom  Paul  loved  seemingly  as  much  as  his  own  flesh 
and  blood  was  Chu,  his  Chinese  teacher.  To  those 
who  knew  them,  these  two  friends  stood  for  the  com- 
mingling of  the  East  and  the  West.  Into  one  antiquity 
had  poured  its  best;  in  the  other,  modernism  had 
wrought  its  works.  Friendship  was  working  its  miracle, 
and  they  recognized  each  other  as  kindred  spirits, 
— a  tie  deeper  than  that  of  blood.  Chu  taught  Paul 
not  only  the  language,  but  also  the  history  and  the 
customs  of  the  Chinese  people.  He  was  from  an  an- 
cient and  cultured  family,  one  of  which  in  each  genera- 
tion belong  to  the  literati,  that  class  which  rules  China, 
although  there  are  but  thirty  or  forty  millions  of  them 
out  of  its  four  hundred  million  people. 

Paul  had  learned  the  language  quickly.  Chu  had 
taught  other  foreigners,  but  he  soon  realized  that  he 
had  never  known  another  just  like  this  young  man.  It 
was  for  this  reason,  that  he  had  been  willing  to  go  to 
this  new  field  with  Redmond. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  when  he  learned  what  Paul 

98 


RELIGIONS  ANCIENT  99 

had  given  up  for  China,  "  you  are  the  man  my  country 
needs.  It  may  not  readily  accept  your  religion,  but  it 
will  accept  you." 

Paul  Redmond  was  anxious  to  be  well  informed 
about  the  religions  of  the  people,  for  he  felt  that  if 
he  were  to  enter  sympathetically  into  their  problems, 
he  must  know  their  beliefs.  One  day  they  were  in  the 
hill  temple,  where  there  are  many  grotesque  figures. 
He  turned  to  Chu  and  asked,  "  Why  do  your  people 
worship  these  things  ?  " 

Chu's  answer  showed  that  he  had  studied  this  phase 
of  China's  religious  life. 

"  So  many  who  study  our  religions  believe  that  these 
are  conditions,"  he  replied.  "  You  are  mistaken,  they 
are  only  expressions  of  conditions.  If  any  religion  is 
to  reach  the  life  of  China,  it  must  go  beyond  condem- 
nation of  idolatry.  It  must  reach  the  conditions  that 
lead  to  idolatry." 

On  another  day  they  went  to  the  Temple  of  Ten 
Thousand  Gods.  Chu  asked :  "  Is  there  one  God  who 
can  express  the  ten  thousand  attributes  of  these  gods  ?  " 

Redmond  chafed  under  the  limitations  of  the  lan- 
guage, but  he  tried  to  express  as  best  he  could  his  idea 
of  God. 

Chu  shook  his  head. 

"  I  do  not  worship  these,"  he  said,  "  for  the  one 
teacher,  Confucius,  teaches  me  of  one  God.  He  knew 
of  his  existence,  although  he  did  not  know  his  attri- 
butes." 

Another  day  as  they  stood  looking  at  the  examina- 
tion halls,  with  their  ten  thousand  stalls,  only  a  few 


100     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

feet  in  size,  where  every  two  years  ten  thousand  stu- 
dents came  for  examination,  Redmond  appreciated  the 
problem  of  education  as  never  before.  Chu  explained 
to  him  that  these  men  came  to  write  what  they  had 
memorized  from  the  classics,  and  this  constituted  their 
education. 

Paul  had  often  been  amazed  at  his  teacher's  wonder- 
ful ability  to  memorize,  and  while  talking  about  his 
people,  Chu  began  to  recite  from  the  classics.  He  went 
on  and  on,  and  then  said :  "  Now,  I  wish  you  would 
repeat  to  me  from  your  classic,  which  you  say  is  the 
Bible."  Redmond  realized  then,  that  although  he  un- 
derstood the  Bible,  he  had  not  made  it  a  part  of  his 
life,  as  the  Chinese  had  made  their  classics  a  part  of 
theirs.  This  question  occurred  to  him:  If  this  man 
were  to  become  a  Christian,  would  it  be  necessary  for 
him  to  give  up  all  of  the  things  that  he  had  learned? 
Could  not  all  of  these  teachings  be  embraced  in  his 
acceptance  of  Christianity? 

Paul  knew  that  on  the  first  and  fifteenth  of  the  Chi- 
nese month,  Chu  went  to  the  Confucian  Temple  to  bow 
before  the  tablet.  He  knew  that  once  a  year  the  Chinese 
went  to  the  temple  on  the  hill  and  sacrificed  to  Con- 
fucius. He  asked  Chu  to  take  him  to  this  annual  sac- 
rifice. On  the  day  before  the  next  festival  Chu  came 
to  him. 

"  If  you  will  be  ready  to  go  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,"  he  said,  "  you  can  come  with  me  and  see 
the  annual  tribute  we  pay  to  Confucius." 

They  went  before  dawn.  Chu  left  him  at  the  gate, 
indicating  where  he  should  stand  so  that  he  might  see 


RELIGIONS  ANCIENT  101 

to  the  best  advantage.  In  the  distance  he  heard  the 
beating  of  gongs  and  the  calls  which  told  of  the  coming 
of  the  Viceroy  and  other  officials.  He  saw  the  run- 
ners making  ready  for  the  coming  of  the  Viceroy's 
carriage.  He  could  see,  as  the  Viceroy  alighted,  that 
he  was  clothed  in  robes  such  as  were  worn  in  the 
presence  of  the  Emperor.  Following  him  came  the 
Provincial  Treasurer,  the  Governor,  and  a  host  of 
lesser  officials.  Servants  carried  the  carcasses  of  oxen 
and  sheep,  and  tributes  of  cloth,  and  placed  them  on 
the  altar  at  the  top  of  the  hill.  The  Viceroy  pro- 
ceeded slowly  to  the  altar,  pausing  at  every  few  steps 
to  kowtow  three  times.  Fagots  were  blazing  from 
baskets  hanging  on  poles  beside  the  brown  stone  steps 
which  led  up  the  hill.  Great  tapers  of  incense  were 
burning  before  the  tablets  of  Confucius,  and  here  and 
there  officiated  the  Buddhist  and  Taoist  priests.  As  he 
stood  viewing  this  ceremony  Paul  realized  that 
Confucianism  must  be  purged  of  many  practices  if 
it  were  to  administer  to  China,  or  to  blend  with  the 
religion  of  Christ.  As  the  clanging  of  the  gongs  grew 
less  distinct,  the  tapers  and  fagots  burned  lower,  and 
the  coming  sun  began  to  crimson  the  sky,  his  heart 
went  out  in  real  worship  of  the  God  of  Whom  it  is 
written :  "  Ye  must  worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in 
truth." 

In  the  uncertain  light  of  the  early  morning  he  passed 
through  the  crowd  who  remained  to  worship.  Chu 
had  left  him.  Firecrackers  were  still  exploding  as  he 
walked  through  the  streets,  and  suddenly  there  came 
the  sound  of  an  explosion  louder  and  sharper  than  the 


102     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

others  and  he  felt  something  pass  his  face  so  close 
that  he  could  feel  the  wind  of  it.  He  turned  quickly 
and  again  he  thought  he  saw  the  figure  of  the  foreigner 
whom  he  had  seen  in  the  crowd  on  the  night  of  the 
opium  riot.  He  realized  that  the  revolver  which  had 
not  been  used  in  the  fight  on  the  ship  had  been  emptied 
in  the  early  light  of  that  morning.  The  aim  had  not 
been  true,  and  again  the  attempt  to  end  his  life  had 
failed,  and  the  very  failure  of  it  awakened  questions 
as  to  his  invulnerablity  in  the  minds  of  his  Chinese 
enemies. 


XV 
•    REAL   INVESTMENTS 

PAUL  never  felt  the  need  of  the  companionship 
of  his  own  race  and  kind  as  he  did  the  morn- 
ing he  received  the  news  that  the  Stewarts  were 
returning  to  Fou  Cheo.  It  was  with  real  glee  that  he 
went  to  find  his  Chinese  friend. 

"  Chu,"  he  said,  "  the  Stewarts  are  coming  back." 

"  Ah,  I  am  glad,"  said  Chu.  "  You  cannot  know 
how  much  this  pleases  me.  As  your  friend,"  he  went 
on  after  a  short  pause,  "  I  want  to  suggest  to  you  some- 
thing that  only  one  friend  can  suggest  to  another. 
Why  not  take  this  young  woman  for  your  wife?  She 
could  love  our  people  and  our  women  would  love  her. 
She  could  do  a  wonderful  work,  and  this  other  woman 
who  has  caused  you  so  much  sorrow,  yet  to  whom  you 
seem  devoted,  she  certainly  is  not  worthy  of  you  or 
she  would  have  taken  the  same  attitude  that  this  Miss 
Stewart  has." 

Paul's  first  inclination  was  one  of  anger  that  his 
friend  should  even  suggest  such  a  course  to  him,  but 
he  finally  contented  himself  with  saying:  "I  know 
your  suggestion  is  born  out  of  friendship  to  me,  Chu, 
and  I  will  take  it  in  the  way  you  mean  it,  but  I  must 
tell  you  that  what  you  suggest  is  impossible.  In  the 
first  place,  she  would  not  accept  me." 

"  Not  accept  you  ? "  asked  Chu  in  astonishment. 
108 


104     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  You — a  man  of  such  wonderful  capabilities  and 
possibilities  ?  " — and  Chu  gave  way  to  a  laugh  that 
was  a  combination  of  merriment,  sarcasm  and  incred- 
ulity. 

Paul  was  sorry  that  Chu  had  made  this  suggestion, 
for  when  he  greeted  Frances  he  could  not  help  but  feel 
a  little  more  reserved  than  he  had  ever  felt  before.  He 
wondered,  too,  whether  this  Chinese  friend  of  his  had 
not  offered  him  a  solution  of  his  future. 

The  Stewarts'  return  to  Fou  Cheo  seemed  like  a 
home-coming.  On  the  first  evening  Paul  sat  with 
them  in  the  little  living  room  of  his  made-over  house. 
Chu,  the  old  evangelist,  and  the  servants  had  gone  for 
the  night.  He  told  of  the  opium  riot,  of  the  attempt  to 
poison  him,  and  of  the  shot  that  came  in  the  early 
morning  when  he  was  returning  from  the  Confucian 
worship. 

Both  Mrs.  Stewart  and  Frances  expressed  their  con- 
cern, but  Stewart  listened  in  silence. 

After  a  while  he  turned  to  his  wife  and  daughter. 
"You  are  tired,"  he  said,  "Paul  and  I  will  talk 
together  a  little  while  and  then  we  will  rest,  but  you 
had  better  go  now." 

When  the  ladies  had  retired  and  he  sat  facing  the 
older  man,  Paul  thought  of  his  last  interview  with  his 
father  and  a  trace  of  sadness  came  over  him.  He 
marveled  at  the  different  types  of  men  that  wealth 
produces.  His  father  had  been  hard  and  stern  in  the 
presence  of  religious  motives,  but  here  was  a  man,  who, 
because  he  had  seen,  believed  in  and  loved  the  work  to 
which  he  was  committed.  Before  a  word  had  been 


REAL  INVESTMENTS  105 

spoken,  he  felt  that  in  him  he  had  an  ally  in  the  fight 
he  was  making. 

"  What  are  your  plans  ?  "  Stewart  finally  asked. 
"  You  have  a  fight  on  your  hands  and  you  can't  go 
back.  You  are  committed  to  this.  What  is  there  for 
you  to  do  ?  What  can  you  do  ?  "  Then  he  hesitated 
for  a  moment — "  but  what  is  more  to  the  point,  my 
boy,  is  what  can  I  do  ?  " 

Paul's  heart  seemed  almost  to  stop  beating,  for  he 
knew  that  when  a  man  like  Mr.  Stewart  asked  what 
he  could  do,  it  meant  that  his  dreams  were  to  come 
true.  He  shut  his  eyes  and  thought  of  the  glorious 
days  that  would  come  if  American  energy  and  conse- 
crated wealth  were  combined  in  the  fight  at  Fou  Cheo. 
He  realized  that  he  stood  in  the  presence  of  a  great 
opportunity. 

"  Mr.  Stewart,"  he  said,  "  there  are  many  things  to 
be  done,  but  they  cannot  all  be  done  at  once.  The 
first  thing  we  must  have  in  this  city  is  a  hospital, — not 
a  tumble-down  one  such  as  we  have  now,  but  a  modern 
one.  Ten  or  fifteen  thousand  dollars  can  do  here  what 
it  would  take  one  hundred  thousand  to  do  in  America. 
Then  we  must  have  two  schools,  one  for  girls  and  one 
for  boys.  Ten  thousand  dollars  each  will  supply  these, 
and,  of  course,  that  means  that  teachers  will  have  to  be 
supplied  for  these  schools.  Then  it  seems  to  me  we 
ought  to  have  a  church;  not  the  old  type  of  church,  but 
one  with  reading  rooms  and  moving  pictures,  an 
institutional  church  that  would  show  these  people  what 
the  world  is  doing.  And  there  should  be  out-stations 
with  chapels  and  schools." 


106     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

A  smile  played  on  Mr.  Stewart's  face. 

"  Yes,  Paul,"  he  said,  "  you  need  all  these  things, 
but  what  about  a  house  to  live  in?  Sometime  I  may 
come  again.  It  was  romantic  to  live  here  the  first  time, 
but  I  imagine  it  is  going  to  be  a  little  tiresome  this 
time,  and  the  next  time  I  shan't  be  able  to  stand  it." 

Paul  laughed. 

"  Yes,  that's  so,  Mr.  Stewart.  When  I  first  came  here 
I  thought  it  was  all  very  romantic,  and  for  the  first  few 
months  it  continued  to  be  so.  But  after  a  while  the 
barrenness  of  it  all  gets  into  your  soul  and  it's  hard 
to  adjust  one's  self  to  such  conditions.  But  my  home  is 
not  the  first  thing.  The  first  thing  is  to  do  something 
adequate  for  these  people." 

Mr.  Stewart  had  promised  Mrs.  Stewart  that  their 
talk  would  not  be  a  long  one,  but  they  sat  far  into  the 
night.  Their  attitudes,  however,  were  a  little  different. 
Paul  did  not  mention  his  enemies.  His  whole  thought 
was  for  the  city  and  the  district.  Mr.  Stewart,  while 
he  had  come  back  to  Fou  Cheo  prepared  to  do  some- 
thing for  Paul  and  his  work,  was  now  much  concerned 
about  the  trouble  Paul  was  facing,  and  he  referred 
again  and  again  to  his  enemies  and  the  victory  that 
would  come  to  Paul  as  the  result  of  his  investing  his 
money  to  help  him.  He  committed  himself  thoroughly 
to  Paul's  work,  but  his  chief  motive  seemed  to  be  to 
win  a  victory  over  those  who  had  in  mind  Paul's  de- 
struction. 

When  the  two  men  separated  for  the  night,  Mr. 
Stewart  turned  to  Paul  and  said,  "  Paul,  you  can  count 
on  me.  But  we  must  investigate." 


REAL  INVESTMENTS  107 

During  the  days  that  followed,  Paul,  Mr.  Stewart, 
and  Frances  were  together  constantly.  Sometimes,  by 
the  end  of  the  day,  Mr.  Stewart  had  grown  tired  of 
the  filth  and  stench,  and  sought  rest  in  the  little  mis- 
sion house.  On  these  occasions  Paul  would  go  out 
with  Frances,  and  often  stood  with  her  looking  out 
over  the  lake,  while  he  told  her  his  dream  of  draining 
it  and  building  dikes  to  prevent  floods  in  the  city. 
"  This  city  is  mine,  Frances,"  he  said.  "  I  shall  go 
back  to  New  York  sometime,  but  I  shall  never  feel 
that  my  home  is  there  again.  I  shall  always  feel  that 
this  is  my  city  and  that  my  work  is  here,  no  matter 
what  may  happen  in  the  future." 

And  so  there  grew  up  between  Frances  and  Paul 
one  of  the  highest  relationships  of  life, — a  pure  friend- 
ship between  a  man  and  a  woman.  Frances  told  him 
very  frankly  of  the  one  man  in  the  world  to  whom  she 
had  been  attracted,  and  the  reason  of  their  separation. 
They  often  talked  of  Madeline,  and  at  times  Frances 
told  him  of  the  things  she  intended  to  tell  her  when 
she  returned  to  America. 

Paul  could  not  entirely  put  from  himself  the  ques- 
tion Chu  had  asked.  Yet  he  knew  that  if  ever  he 
should  ask  Frances  to  be  his  wife  it  would  not  be  be- 
cause he  loved  her,  but  that  it  would  be  because  he 
was  lonely  and  wanted  a  companion. 

Mrs.  Stewart  and  Frances  took  the  usual  woman's 
interest  in  making  Paul  comfortable  and,  as  he  told 
them  on  the  last  night  of  their  visit,  it  seemed  almost 
impossible  to  let  them  go,  as  they  had  managed  to 
change  the  old  Chinese  house  and  make  it  habitable. 


108     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Everywhere  he  seemed  to  feel  their  presence.  Yet, 
with  the  going  of  the  Stewarts  he  felt  a  new  future 
for  his  work.  But  after  they  had  gone  he  asked  him- 
self this  question  again  and  again :  "  What  is  the 
future  to  this  work,  if  it  must  be  alone  ?  " 


XVI 
LOVE'S  YEARNING 

AFTER  the  departure  of  the  Stewarts  Paul  Red- 
mond faced  himself  and  realized  that  it  was  a 
long,  long  fight  he  was  making.  The  struggle 
he  had  with  himself  was  one  with  which  neither  priests 
nor  opium  dealers,  nor  his  foreign  enemies  with  their 
tongues  of  slander  and  plots  against  his  life,  had  any- 
thing to  do.  It  was  a  battle  with  the  deepest  longings 
within  his  soul.  Often  he  sat  with  his  head  on  his 
arms  asking  himself,  "  Why  should  I,  to  whom  so  much 
is  given,  who  have  so  many  opportunities  to  acquire 
money  and  put  it  into  this  work, — why  should  I  spend 
my  life  here?  Does  it  mean  that  because  I  have  seen 
this  vision  I  may  not  turn  back  ?  "  Against  all  this 
there  stood  out  clear  and  distinct  his  love  for  Made- 
line Leonard.  True,  she  had  turned  against  him,  but 
he  could  not  forget  that  she  had  said,  "If  you  come 
back  to  New  York,  I  will  marry  you  there." 

Many  a  man  believes  that  he  can  give  up  his  love 
for  a  good  woman  only  to  find  himself  mistaken.  In 
an  unexpected  moment  his  heart  turns  traitor  and 
reaches  out  to  fight  against  him.  It  was  so  one  night 
with  Paul.  He  tried  to  reason  but  logic  forsook  him. 

"  I  will  give  it  all  up,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  go  back 
to  father  and  Madeline.  She  told  me  how  lonely 
father  was,  and  I  believe  that  even  these  people  who 

100 


110     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

reverence  their  ancestors  so  devoutly  will  honor  me 
more  if  I  go  back  to  him  in  his  declining  years.  I 
know  what  I  will  do,"  he  concluded  exultantly,  "  I  will 
go  back  to  father  and  work  with  him  as  long  as  he 
lives,  and  then  when  he  dies,  I  will  bring  back  his  vast 
wealth  and  put  it  into  this  work." 

He  remembered  a  dinner  party  in  his  father's  home 
one  night  when  men  of  wealth  and  influence  related 
dreams  of  their  boyhood  days,  and  the  good  they  in- 
tended to  do  as  they  planned  for  the  future.  He  re- 
membered the  ideals  that  his  father  had  said  had  been 
his,  and  the  things  he  had  meant  to  do  with  his  wealth. 
Yet,  somehow,  the  grip  of  success  had  strangled  all 
their  ideals,  and  nearly  every  one  of  the  men  had  con- 
fessed that  instead  of  conquering,  they  had  been  over- 
come. 

The  fight  in  his  soul  went  on.  When  he  retired  he 
said  to  himself,  "  I  will  go  back."  But  the  next  morn- 
ing when  Chu  came  to  him  and  said  in  his  thoughtful 
way,  "  Friend,  you  are  troubled.  I  know  the  call  of 
the  past  is  sounding  in  your  ears.  But  remember,  the 
present  needs  you." 

"  You  are  right,  Chu,  but  you  need  not  be  con- 
cerned,— I  am  going  to  stay,"  Paul  answered  him 
truthfully. 

When  his  talents  seemed  of  no  avail,  he  said  to  him- 
self, "  Mediocre  men  can  come."  But  a  voice  within 
him  answered,  "  You  know  that  such  men  could  not  do 
this  work.  You  have  talents  that  many  of  them  do  not 
have,  and  if  you  fail,  what  could  they  do?  " 

He  thought  of  some  of  the  missionaries  whom  he 


LOVE'S  YEARNING  111 

had  met,  men,  who,  because  of  lack  of  qualification, 
were  impotent  in  the  midst  of  stupendous  tasks.  He 
knew  that  he  must  stay,  but  he  could  not  do  it  alone. 
At  such  times  he  would  say  aloud  to  himself,  "  Oh, 
what  work  I  might  accomplish  if  only  Madeline  would 
join  me  at  this  time." 

He  thought  constantly  of  his  father  during  this 
period.  There  is  usually  enough  sportsmanship  in  the 
average  man  to  say  when  he  is  disinherited,  "  I  can 
make  good,  and  will  with  what  has  come  to  me."  But 
no  real  man  is  ever  put  under  his  father's  ban  and  cast 
out  from  home,  without  finding  a  lasting  sorrow  come 
into  his  life. 

As  the  days  passed,  his  thought  for  his  father  grew 
more  tender.  "  He  was  stern,"  Paul  said  to  himself. 
"  but  I  know  he  loves  me.  No  man  could  have  moth- 
ered me  through  all  those  long  years  when  he  was 
fighting  in  the  street,  without  loving  me.  I  will  use 
that  love  to  make  him  yield — not  for  the  money  he 
will  give  but  for  the  love  I  need  in  my  own  life." 

Thus  the  forces  of  two  continents  fought  within  him^ 
— one  of  love  and  blood,  the  other  of  great  service  and 
need. 

When  the  temptation  to  go  back  was  the  strongest, 
he  took  an  extended  trip  through  his  district  to  study 
in  just  what  way  he  could  best  use  the  money  that  Mr. 
Stewart  had  promised  him.  He  went  a  hundred  miles 
in  each  direction,  but  met  no  missionaries,  nor  were 
there  any  hospitals  or  schools  established  in  that  dis- 
trict, though  he  saw  the  homes  of  a  million  people. 
The  need  was  greater  than  he  imagined,  for  he  saw 


THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

smallpox,  leprosy  and  typhus  fever  on  every  side.  He 
went  to  the  temples  on  the  great  fast  days,  too,  and 
saw  the  long  lines  of  women  beating  their  heads  on 
the  ground.  Yet  stronger  than  any  of  these  appeals 
was  that  made  by  the  young  men  whom  he  met  con- 
stantly during  his  journeys.  He  knew  that  the  ancient 
China  would  not  change  quickly,  for  many  of  the  old 
men  smoked  opium  and  were  committed  to  all  the 
vile  practices  of  the  past.  But  here  was  a  young  China, 
with  hopes  and  possibilities. 

One  day  as  he  sat  with  Chu  in  a  tea-house  in  a 
strange  city  several  young  teachers  came  to  talk  with 
him. 

"  Some  day  these  young  men  will  change  China," 
said  Chu. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  they  will  change  the  govern- 
ment ?  "  Paul  asked. 

"  Are  we  not  loyal  to  the  Emperor  ?  Is  not  he  the 
son  of  heaven?  Why  should  you  think  that  we  want 
our  Emperor  changed  ?  "  queried  the  young  Chinese. 

Paul  felt  that  he  had  won  Chu's  confidence  in  every- 
thing except  his  attitude  towards  his  government.  He 
thought  his  silence  an  unexplainable  Orientalism  which 
he  could  not  fathom,  and  whenever  they  talked  about 
the  future  of  China  and  a  prospective  change  in  gov- 
ernment, a  smile  would  play  over  Chu's  face  that 
always  left  Paul  wondering,  "What  does  he  mean? 
What  are  his  real  thoughts  ?  " 

The  trip  was  nearly  over  and  having  left  behind  the 
donkeys  on  which  they  had  occasionally  ridden,  they 
were  walking  over  the  last  five-mile  stretch  that  led 


LOVE'S  YEARNING  113 

to  the  city.  The  donkeys  carrying  their  packs  and 
bedding,  followed  on  behind. 

"  Chu,"  Paul  asked  suddenly,  "  is  this  fight  we  are 
making  worth  while  ?  Can  we  win  ?  " 

He  had  grown  accustomed  to  talking  to  Chu  as  if 
he  were  a  Christian,  telling  him  of  all  his  plans.  He 
knew  that  Chu  was  a  Confucianist,  and  as  such,  held 
the  confidences  of  a  friend  to  be  something  holy. 

"  Kind  friend,"  Chu  answered,  "  can  walls  which 
took  men  a  thousand  years  to  build  be  overturned  in  a 
day?  It  is  said  that  Swenheotz,  the  fabled  monkey- 
man,  could  travel  three  thousand  leagues  in  a  single 
somersault.  But  not  so  with  this  work  we  have  taken 
upon  ourselves."  It  was  the  first  time  that  Chu  had 
used  the  word  "we." 

"  We  must  mark  the  dust  of  the  road  by  every  step 
of  our  foot,"  he  went  on,  "  for  those  who  come  after 
us  can  only  trace  us  by  our  footprints.  Courage,  my 
friend.  You  do  not  yet  understand  China,  but  if  you 
can  let  but  ten  years  pass  over  your  head  and  through 
your  soul,  then  you  will  be  my  brother  and  China's 
son." 


XVII 
CONFIDENCES 

THE  work  and  the  battle  that  Paul  was  fighting 
had  taken  their  toll,  and  Chu  and  his  other 
friends  urged  him  to  go  away  for  a  little  rest. 
He  decided  to  take  a  trip  to  Hankow  and  back,  with 
his  old  friend,  the  captain. 

As  the  steamer  pulled  in  beside  the  hulk  at  Wuhu, 
Paul  could  hear  the  nasal  Yankee  twang  and  the  flow 
of  picturesque  oaths  that  had  always  attracted  his  at- 
tention. The  old  captain  apparently  did  not  notice  him, 
but  when  the  last  order  of  "  make  fast "  had  been 
given,  he  left  the  bridge  and  came  down  the  deck  with 
a  smile  of  real  pleasure  playing  over  his  face. 

"  Well,  by  gad,  if  here  isn't  a  resurrection !  There 
was  a  feller  inquirin'  about  you  yesterday,  and  I  told 
him  you  had  been  dead  and  buried  for  a  year.  How 
in  the  world  some  of  you  fellows  can  go  and  stick  your 
heads  down  in  the  mire  and  stink  of  this  land  and  live 
there,  I'm  hanged  if  I  know.  Where  are  you  going?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  Hankow  and  back  with  you,"  an- 
swered Paul. 

"  What  are  you  going  for  ?  " 

"  I'm  just  going  up  for  the  sake  of  visiting  with 
you." 

"  You're  a  liar,"  snapped  the  captain,  "  but  it  warms 

an  old  man's  heart  to  hear  you  say  it,  young  man.  Just 

114 


CONFIDENCES  115 

keep  me  believin'  it,  anyway,  and  only  go  ashore  at 
Hankow  when  I  am  asleep,  so  as  not  to  break  the  spell." 

"  Captain,"  Paul  replied,  "  I  am  not  lying,  for  I  am 
lonely  and  I  felt  that  I  must  see  someone.  It  lay  be- 
tween you  and  Dr.  Means,  and  somehow  my  heart 
turned  to  you." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  you  settled  on  me.  Means  would 
have  done  you  some  good,  but  he  wouldn't  swear  at  you 
as  I  will.  I'll  promise  that  if  you  go  to  Hankow  and 
back  with  me,  and  things  go  average,  I'll  let  you  hear 
'  damn  it '  a  thousand  times,  and  that  will  keep  you 
going  another  six  months." 

"  By  the  way,  have  you  a  place  for  me?*"  asked  Paul. 

"Have  I  a  place  for  you?"  the  captain  shouted. 
"  Man  alive,  you  are  going  to  stay  in  my  own  cabin. 
There  are  two  bunks.  Do  you  suppose  I'm  going  to 
have  you  go  over  and  be  ruined  by  some  of  those  fel- 
lows I  have  on  board.  I've  got  a  nice  mess  this  trip. 
Do  you  see  that  big  fat  fellow  there,  the  one  whose  face 
looks  turned  inside  out?  Well,  that  old  fellow  has 
been  riding  with  me,  off  and  on,  for  twenty-five  years. 
He's  one  of  the  first  American  whiskey  men  that  came 
to  this  coast.  Then,  see  that  fellow  down  there  that 
looks  as  if  he  ought  to  die?  Well,  he's  one  of  your 
kind,  for  he  thinks  he's  a  missionary,  but  I  doubt  it. 
By  gad,  if  I  was  a  heathen  and  ever  looked  on  a  re- 
ligion that  produced  a  face  like  that,  I'm  pretty  damn 
sure  I'd  turn  away  from  it  and  leave  it.  And  that  pair 
down  there — isn't  that  a  sweet  pair  ?  They're  another 
pair  of  what  you  ought  to  call  globe-trotters.  But 
they're  only  globe-walkers.  They  can't  trot  a  yard. 


116     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

If  I  had  a  boy  and  he'd  ask  such  fool  questions  as  they 
ask,  I'd  souse  him  in  the  river  here  at  the  end  of  a 
rope.  And  those  dark-complexioned  fellows  down  at 
the  end  there, — three  of  'em — well,  I  don't  know  who 
they  are,  but  I'll  tell  you  what  I  think  they  are — 
They're  the  vomit  of  hell.  They've  passed  through  this 
way  now  and  then,  and  always  with  a  bunch  of  women, 
for  they're  trafficker-;  in  bodies  and  souls.  It  was  their 
kind  that  got  you  in  Japan." 

His  face  grew  stern  as  he  asked,  "  Are  they  the  gang 
that  got  you  ?  " 

"  No,  they  are  not  the  same,"  answered  Paul. 

"  I'm  glad,  for  I  would  have  finished  them,"  the 
captain  replied. 

"  Those  other  two  fellows  down  yonder, — they  be- 
long to  the  British-American  Tobacco  Company, — 
good  fellows,  as  the  world  calls  it,  but  it's  mighty  poor 
business  that  they  are  doing  out  here,  when  they're 
making  a  million  cigarettes  a  day.  You  see  that  fellow 
there  with  the  red  hair  and  face  that  he's  working  up 
and  down,  trying  to  look  like  he  knows  something? 
That's  one  of  the  consuls  of  the  British  government. 
He  knows  China,  and  you  ought  to  talk  to  him  a  little, 
for  he  came  out  here  more'n  twenty  years  ago.  Britain 
has  consuls  who  know  China ;  they  know  but  little  else, 
but  they  do  know  this  country,  its  languages  and  its 
people.  Say,  I  wish  you  had  been  with  us  on  the  last 
trip,"  laughed  the  captain,  "  and  seen  the  American 
consul  that  we  brought  up.  Lord,  he  heard  my  gab 
and  he  looked  me  over  and  asked  how  long  I  had  been 
away  from  England,  and  I  told  him  nigh  onto  seventy 


CONFIDENCES  117 

years,  for  I  have  never  been  in  the  bloomin'  country, 
strange  as  it  may  seem.  And  he  says :  '  Why,  cap- 
tain, you  don't  look  that  old.'  Think  of  a  man  listenin' 
to  this  weeze  of  mine  and  thinkin'  I  was  a  Britisher — 
me  splittin'  every  '  a '  that  I  say  down  the  middle 
with  an  axe  and  then  soft  soapin'  it  on  top !  Ha,  ha, 
ha,"  the  old  man  laughed,  "  I'll  start  somethin'  at 
dinner.  I'll  throw  a  harpoon  into  'em  that  will  bring 
somethin'  out.  Come  on  to  the  bridge.  That  darn 
boatswain  is  blowin'  his  whistle.  Let's  get  away  from 
the  smell  of  this  town.  It's  a  pretty  nice  town  when 
you  get  far  enough  away  to  let  the  breeze  blow  under 
your  nose." 

As  the  passengers  came  into  the  saloon  that  night, 
Paul  was  able  to  get  a  closer  view  of  them.  Some 
whom  he  had  not  seen  before  came  out  of  their  cabins. 
It  was  a  heavy  load  for  the  old  captain's  ship  at  that 
time  of  the  year. 

"  Captain,"  said  one  of  the  cigarette  men  as  the 
captain  sat  down  at  the  table,  "  I  haven't  heard  you 
say  a  word  about  missionaries  on  this  trip." 

The  captain's  knife  went  down  on  the  cabin  floor 
with  a  clatter,  and  as  he  stooped  for  it  he  said  to  Paul 
in  an  undertone : 

"  They  don't  know  who  you  are.  Let  me  handle 
'em." 

For  the  next  few  minutes  Paul  heard  such  a  scath- 
ing of  missionaries  as  he  had  never  heard  before.  He 
didn't  know  the  old  captain  could  talk  in  just  the  way 
he  did.  The  whole  table  was  abuzz  with  its  condem- 
nation of  missionaries  in  general.  The  one  pietistic 


118     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

individual  at  the  table  was  in  confusion,  and  ate  on  in 
silence. 

"  They're  men  who  couldn't  do  anything  else  at 
home  and  are  out  of  a  job,"  said  one  of  the  traffickers 
in  souls. 

Paul  had  been  silent  up  to  this  time,  but  the  injustice 
and  indignity  of  this  incensed  him,  coming  from  a 
man  whose  kind  had  wrought  such  havoc  in  his  life. 
He  looked  down  the  table  with  an  expression  in  his 
eyes  that  men  had  seen  in  his  father's  when  he  was 
going  to  annihilate  them  in  business,  and  when  the 
old  captain  saw  that  look  he  knew  that  he  had  truly 
started  something.  He  saw  a  side  of  his  courteous 
friend  that  he  had  not  seen  before,  and  he  revelled  in 
the  spirit  of  the  boy  as  he  listened  to  him.  The  man 
tried  to  reply,  but  Paul  stripped  his  soul  bare.  He 
was  impersonal,  but  every  man  at  the  table  knew  that 
he  was  striking  fairly  and  squarely  at  the  man  with 
whom  he  was  talking,  and  was  showing  up  the  nefa- 
rious business  which  Paul  hated  with  all  the  intensity 
of  his  soul,  since  he  had  seen  the  awful  results  in  the 
life  of  one  woman  whom  he  saved. 

The  captain  put  his  hand  on  Paul's,  not  to  stop  him, 
but  to  reassure  him  that  he  was  with  him  in  his  fight. 
One  or  two  of  the  other  men  at  the  table  joined  in 
the  conversation,  and  finally  the  whiskey  man  turned 
to  him. 

"  Did  I  hear  your  name  to  be  Redmond  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes." 

"  I  wonder  if  by  any  chance  you  are  related  to 
Robert  Redmond  of  New  York?" 


CONFIDENCES  119 

"lam." 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  knew  somehow  before  I  heard 
your  name  that  back  of  that  whip  tongue  of  yours  was 
some  of  his  blood,  for  I  have  heard  but  one  man  in 
the  world  who  could  slash  both  ways  when  he  was 
only  striking  in  one  direction  as  he  does.  What  rela- 
tion is  he  to  you  ?  " 

"  He's  my  father." 

"  Are  you  out  here  on  business  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I'm  here  on  business.  I'm  here  to  help  these 
people." 

"  Are  you  a  missionary?  " 

"  I  am." 

"  Well,  by  gad,  captain,  if  men  of  his  type  are  mis- 
sionaries, we  must  be  wrong  about  a  lot  of  them." 

The  shrill  voice  of  the  trafficker  in  souls  now  rose 
above  the  other  voices. 

"  They're  all  alike.  I  don't  care  whose  son  he  is. 
They're  a  lot  of  incompetents,  and  you  know  from 
the  talk  that's  going  around  about  some  of  them, 
they're  all  the  same.  This  fellow  only  goes  to  prove 
what  I  said,  for  he  didn't  do  anything  at  home,  and 
so  his  rich  father  has  to  keep  him  out  here  to  get  rid 
of  him." 

Before  Paul  could  reply  the  captain's  hand  was 
lifted  from  his,  and  he  pointed  his  ringer  down  the  table 
at  the  speaker. 

"  Boys,  I  guess  I  went  too  far,"  he  said,  "  for  this 
lad  here  is  the  best  friend  I  ever  had.  He  saved  my 
life  and  I  said  what  I  did  just  for  pure  deviltry.  But  I 
want  to  say  to  you  that  this  boy  could  have  been  worth 


120     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

millions  and  that  his  father  disinherited  him  because 
he  came  here.  I  hear  this  from  others,  not  from  him, 
and  when  the  kind  he's  been  talking  about  are  behind 
prison  bars  and  their  names  are  forgotten,  we  shall 
speak  this  man's  name  in  tones  of  reverence.  Now 
you  fellows  can  tell  it  up  and  down  the  river  that  I've 
got  a  missionary  friend  if  you  want  to,  but  I'm  proud 
of  him,  even  though  I  don't  believe  much  in  his  busi- 
ness. But,  remember  this,  if  any  man  strikes  at  him, 
he  hits  me." 

In  the  evening,  while  the  boat  was  making  its  way 
up  the  river,  Paul  and  the  old  man  sat  together  in  the 
quiet  of  the  cabin. 

"  You've  made  an  enemy  tonight,"  said  the  captain. 
"  In  fact,  you  made  several.  They'll  try  to  get  you  as 
the  others  got  you.  They're  hell  turned  loose,  so  look 
out  for  them.  I  don't  mean  on  this  trip.  They're 
too  big  cowards  to  hurt  you  physically,  but  somehow 
or  other  they  are  going  to  get  you,  and  remember 
that  when  they  do  it,  I'll  come  any  time  and  anywhere 
to  see  you  and  to  help  you.  Let  'em  hate — blame  'em — 
let  'em  hate.  It's  the  highest  motive  they  know." 

The  old  captain's  face  grew  hard  as  he  talked,  and 
it  could  easily  be  seen  that  he  knew  the  type  of  which 
the  scum  of  the  Orient  is  composed. 

These  two  strange  companions  sat  silent  for  a  few 
moments.  Then  the  old  man  turned  to  Paul. 

"  And  now,  boy,  what  about  this  story?  "  he  queried. 
"  I  knew  when  I  saw  you  coming  up  the  deck,  that  you 
had  come  to  tell  me  what  I  have  waited  for  months  to 
hear.  Don't  cut  it  short,  for  an  old  man  wants  to  hear 


CONFIDENCES  131 

it  all,  and  when  you  go  back  yonder  to  the  mire  and 
the  stench  I'll  think  it  all  over.  So  serve  all  the 
courses,  son,  serve  'em  all." 

The  story  that  Paul  told  the  old  captain  was  com- 
plete. It  was  not  only  the  story  of  his  love,  but  the 
story  of  his  struggle.  He  talked  much  of  his  father 
and  told  of  the  opposition  and  intrigue  against  him  in 
Fou  Cheo.  When  he  had  finished  silence  fell  between 
them  for  a  while. 

"  Son,"  the  captain  said  at  length,  "  it's  been  nigh 
fifty  years  since  a  little  blue-eyed  girl  in  Maine  gripped 
my  life.  The  tides  of  the  ocean  and  of  the  world 
coursed  through  my  heart.  Those  were  the  days  when 
women  sometimes  stayed  at  home,  and  sometimes 
traveled  the  far  seas  with  those  they  loved.  We  had 
been  sweethearts  from  childhood.  I  don't  remember 
the  time  when  she  wasn't  mine  and  I  hers,  and  then, 
son,  the  day  came  when  I  made  the  first  trip  down  the 
coast.  Gad,  those  were  hard  days !  I  had  fished  some 
and  she  had  never  objected,  but  when  I  came  back  this 
time  she  said :  '  Bill,  ye  cannot  go  to  sea  again.' 
'  Why? '  I  said.  *  If  ye  go  to  sea  again,  I'll  not  have 
ye.'  Son,  I'll  never  forget  those  words.  I  didn't  swear 
in  those  days,  though  I  was  wild  and  would  dare  any- 
thing. I  picked  up  my  hat  and  said :  '  If  ye. ever  change 
your  mind,  let  me  know.'  Son,  that's  a  good  many 
years  ago.  I've  only  seen  her  once,  just  once,  since 
then.  For  nearly  fifty  years  she's  lived  over  there  in 
Maine  waiting  for  me  to  give  up  the  sea,  and  for  fifty 
years  I  followed  the  star  out  yonder  in  the  north  and 
I've  set  my  course  by  it.  I've  lived  my  life  and  this 


122     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

thing  of  livin'  your  own  life  is  a  queer  thing,  son.  I've 
never  told  this  story  to  anyone,  you  are  the  first 
person  in  the  world  who  ever  dragged  it  out  of  my 
heart. 

"After  almost  fifty  years  the  keys  get  pretty  rusty, 
and  the  locks  creak  when  they  turn.  It's  been  hell, 
and  I'd  been  a  different  man  if  she  had  laid  her  course 
this  way.  I  don't  believe  it's  stubbornness  when  I  say 
to  you  that  if  I  was  to  stand  back  tonight  in  that  little 
parlor  beside  the  sea,  I  would  not  alter  my  course,  for 
when  the  tides  of  the  world  get  to  flowin'  and  a  fellow 
starts  to  check  them  or  alter  them,  they  force  their  way 
over  him  and  engulf  him.  When  I'm  gone,  my  name 
will  be  tied  up  with  the  river.  I've  done  my  work  and 
I  hope  you  won't  think  it's  sacrilegious  when  I  say 
that  I  believe  I've  done  the  job  that  God  wanted  me 
to  do,  for  I've  helped  make  a  pathway  across  this  land, 
and  I  wouldn't  give  it  up." 

"  There  was  a  word  in  that  story  of  yours  about 
Madeline  and  goin'  back  to  her.  You've  got  to  decide 
that.  But  let  me  say  this  to  you — my  advice  is  to  hold 
to  your  course,  boy.  A  star  somewhere  out  yonder — 
as  the  star  that  set  the  course  for  me — sets  your  course. 
I  know  it's  hard,  but  stick  to  it,  my  friend,  though  I 
think  that  for  the  man  who  does  it  there's  not  much 
chance  of  burning  hereafter,  for  certainly  all  the  flames 
of  hell  are  playin'  over  him  now.  As  the  one  father 
that  you've  got  now,  since  the  other  kicked  you  out, — 
I  say,  keep  to  the  trail  that  you've  chosen.  Follow  it 
and  live  your  life.  Let's  turn  in." 


XVIII 
TWO   VIEWS   OF   LIFE 

THE  Stewarts  had  left  China  and  returned  to 
New  York,  while  Paul  was  fighting  the  decision 
to  remain  in  China,  and  taking  his  brief  vaca- 
tion with  Captain  Jenkins.  They  had  come  to  China 
questioning  the  validity  and  usefulness  of  missions  and 
had  left  it  believing  in  them,  and  giving  large  sums  of 
money  to  their  advancement. 

Richard  Stewart  went  back  resolved  to  win  Robert 
Redmond  to  his,  Stewart's,  opinion  of  Paul,  and 
Frances  was  determined  to  make  Madeline  see  her  mis- 
take, and,  if  possible,  to  prevail  upon  her  to  correct  it. 

Stewart  waited  only  a  day  or  two  after  he  reached 
New  York  before  sending  in  his  card  to  Mr.  Red- 
mond, who  saw  him  at  once,  for  he  was  anxious  to  ask 
Mr.  Stewart  whether  he  knew  the  facts  of  the  story 
which  had  disturbed  him  greatly, — and  to  know  if,  in 
the  later  months,  there  had  been  any  more  gossip. 

The  two  men  were  of  different  type,— one,  business 
had  hardened  and  made  selfish,  the  other,  it  had  broad- 
ened and  impressed  with  the  responsibility  of  his 
wealth. 

"  I  have  come  to  talk  to  you  about  Paul,"  Mr.  Stew- 
art said  after  the  first  greeting. 

"  I  hope  you  have  not  come  to  plead  for  him,"  re- 

123 


THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

plied  Redmond.  There  was  a  suspicion  of  contempt 
in  his  voice. 

"  Well,  I  am  not  here  at  his  request — that  is  one 
very  certain  thing.  He  would  have  forbidden  it  if  he 
had  known  that  I  was  coming  here  to  speak  in  his 
behalf.  Nevertheless  I  feel  that,  after  the  years  of 
acquaintance,  I  should  be  recreant  if  I  did  not  come 
to  tell  you  something  about  your  son.  I  understand 
you  have  disinherited  him." 

"  I  have." 

"  Then,  let  me  tell  you,  you  have  disinherited  one  of 
the  great  men  of  today,  one  who  will  bring  great  honor 
to  the  Redmond  name,  and  who  will  be  remembered 
long  after  your  wealth  is  forgotten.  He  is  one  of  the 
empire  builders  of  the  world  and  is  going  to  leave  his 
mark,  not  alone  upon  the  country  for  which  he  is  now 
laboring,  but  on  others ;  for  the  things  he  is  now  doing 
will  affect  all  nations." 

"  I  do  not  understand  your  employing  such  extrava- 
gant language." 

"  I  speak  in  this  way  because  the  facts  demand  it — 
because  I  have  been  where  Paul  lives  and  have  seen 
him  at  his  work." 

For  fully  half  an  hour,  in  straight,  direct  language, 
Richard  Stewart  told  Robert  Redmond  of  his  son's 
work  and  influence.  He  made  no  reference  to  Made- 
line or  to  the  rumors  that  had  spread  so  rapidly  over 
the  East.  At  times  during  the  recital  the  father's 
heart  called  out  for  his  son  and  glowed  under  the 
praise  Richard  Stewart  bestowed  upon  him.  There 
was  one  fact,  however,  that  stood  out  prominently  in 


TWO  VIEWS  OF  LIFE  125 

his  mind — that  Paul  had  disobeyed  him,  and  must  be 
punished  for  it. 

Mr.  Redmond  listened  in  silence  during  the  greater 
part  of  Mr.  Stewart's  description  of  Paul's  work,  only 
now  and  then  asking  a  question  in  order  to  gain  a 
clearer  understanding  of  what  it  was. 

"  Mr.  Stewart,"  he  finally  said,  "  I  thank  you  for 
bringing  this  word  to  me  about  my  son,  but  I  have 
waited  patiently  for  you  to  tell  me  something  about 
the  rumor  that  has  spread  over  the  East  and  that  has 
reached  us  about  him." 

"  You  have  heard  it,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  it,"  replied  Mr.  Redmond. 

"  We  did  not  pay  any  attention  to  it,"  explained  Mr. 
Stewart.  "  We  were  in  Yokohama  the  day  the  break 
came  between  Paul  and  Madeline,  and  afterwards  vis- 
ited Paul  in  Fou  Cheo  twice.  Everywhere  in  China 
people  laugh  at  this  story,  except  those  who  are  enemies 
of  missions.  Of  course  these  try  to  make  capital  out 
of  it." 

Mr.  Redmond  was  silent  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
said :  "  Mr.  Stewart,  I  believe  there  has  been  some  talk 
of  Paul  marrying  your  daughter,  and  I  am  wondering 
if  that  is  why  you  are  here  today  speaking  in  such 
extravagant  terms  of  him." 

Stewart  gew  intensely  angry.  His  eyes  blazed. 
"  It  is  not,"  he  replied  with  considerable  heat.  "  I 
know  that  Paul  and  Frances  are  very  good  friends, 
but  as  to  any  thought  of  marriage  between  them  I  can 
say  to  you  that  there  is  nothing  in  it.  While  we  were 
in  Fou  Cheo,  Paul  and  Frances  were  the  best  of  friends 


126     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

only,  and  that  is  what  they  are  now.  Of  all  the  young 
men  I  have  known  he  is  one  of  the  most  honorable,  and 
I  feel  that  you  do  him  a  great  injustice  when  you  give 
any  countenance  to  the  rumor.  Furthermore,  I  can  as- 
sure you  very  definitely  that  you  do  both  Frances  and 
myself  an  injustice  when  you  intimate  that  there  is  an 
ulterior  motive  in  my  coming  to  you  to  speak  in  your 
son's  behalf." 

At  almost  the  same  hour  that  this  conversation  was 
taking  place,  Madeline  and  Frances  came  face  to  face  in 
one  of  the  great  stores  of  the  city.  Each  hesitated  for 
a  moment,  for  they  were  unprepared  for  the  meeting. 
It  was  Frances  who  spoke  first. 

"  Madeline,"  she  said,  "  I  know  you  were  in  the 
East,  and  that  we  were  in  the  same  city  on  the  same 
day.  But  after  the  things  I  heard  I  could  not  come  to 
see  you." 

Madeline  searched  her  face  closely,  trying  to  find 
some  trace  of  the  old  friendship  that  had  existed  be- 
tween them.  But  she  found  nothing  but  condemna- 
tion. 

"  Then  you  mean  to  say  that  you  sanctioned  Paul's 
outrageous  conduct  in  kissing  that  woman,  and  stay- 
ing out  in  that  awful  land,  when  I  need  him  at  home  ?  " 

"  How  can  you  put  it  that  way,  Madeline  ?  Even 
the  rumor  of  the  East  is  more  charitable  than  you  are, 
for  it  says  she  kissed  him.  But  let  me  say  this — I  did 
not  care  enough  about  the  rumor  even  to  investigate  it. 
I  met  Paul  in  the  hotel  after  he  left  you,  and  he  was 
brokenhearted,  so  I  did  not  ask  him  to  explain,  and  I 
only  told  him,  as  a  word  of  comfort,  that  I  trusted  him. 


TWO  VIEWS  OF  LIFE  127 

In  the  months  that  followed,  while  I  was  with  him,  he 
talked  of  you  constantly,  and  there  was  no  word  of 
blame  from  him.  He  needs  the  faith  of  those  who 
love  him  and  of  his  friends." 

"  You  told  him  that  after  he  left  me  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then,  why  don't  you  marry  him  ?  " 

"  For  one  reason,  at  least, — he  has  not  asked  me." 

"  But  you  would  marry  him  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  care  to  answer  that  question,  although  I 
was  willing  to  answer  the  other  one.  But  let  me  say 
this  to  you,  Madeline,  and  I  think  I  have  a  right  to 
say  it.  You  have  missed  the  opportunity  of  your  life. 
You  thought  you  knew  Paul,  but  you  did  not,  and 
neither  you  nor  I,  nor  any  other  woman  of  the  pleasure- 
loving  set  that  we  have  been  reared  in,  are  worthy  to 
do  the  most  menial  thing  for  him.  While  he  is  a  man 
of  our  set,  he  is  not  a  man  of  our  kind.  He  is  far  above 
us  both.  A  moment  ago  you  asked  me  if  I  would 
marry  him  and  I  will  answer  you.  I  do  not  believe 
he  will  ever  marry  anyone,  for  he  has  enshrined  you 
in  his  heart,  he  has  made  of  you  something  which 
you  are  not,  but  if  he  should  ask  me,  I  do  not  think 
I  could  ever  marry  him  for  I  do  not  believe  a  girl 
such  as  I  is  good  enough  for  him,  and  I  do  not  be- 
lieve I  could  do  the  work  that  his  wife  ought  to  do 
in  that  land  of  opportunity." 

"  Oh,  Frances,  we  are  not  so  far  apart  as  it  may 
seem.  It  was  not  only  the  woman,  but  that  strange 
country  out  there  and  the  utter  difference  in  the  kind 
of  life  that  frightened  me.  I  felt  about  as  you  do,  and 


128     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

told  Paul  that  there  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to 
offer  that  if  he  would  come  back  to  New  York  I  would 
marry  him." 

Frances  smiled. 

"  Ah,  Madeline,"  she  said,  "  there  is  everything  for 
you  to  do.  It  isn't  the  question  of  nothing  to  do,  but 
the  lack  of  desire  to  do  it.  If  you  had  married  Paul, 
and  had  gone  willingly  to  help  him  in  his  task,  how 
much  you  could  have  found  to  do  for  the  women  of 
China.  The  men  of  that  country  have  for  centuries 
been  supreme — except  now  and  then  when  some 
woman  has  flashed  into  prominence  or  has  had  thrust 
upon  her  a  great  position,  when  in  every  instance  she 
displayed  ability  beyond  that  of  the  men.  The  woman- 
hood of  China  calls  for  women  who  are  willing  to  pay 
the  price.  But  more  than  that,  Madeline — one  of  the 
best  men  who  has  ever  lived  calls  for  you.  I  hope 
that  God  will  forgive  you  for  the  sorrow  you  have 
brought  into  his  life,  and  I  pray  also  that  Paul  may 
forgive  you,  but  I  don't  believe  I  ever  can." 


XIX 

SEEKING  THE  ETERNAL 

WHAT  time  Frances  Stewart  and  her  father 
were  pleading  Paul's  cause  in  New  York,  he, 
himself,  was  engaged  in  an  endeavor  to  en- 
list Chu  more  definitely  on  the  side  of  Christianity.  He 
had  never  tried  to  persuade  Chu  by  words  or  argument 
to  become  a  Christian,  for  he  felt  that  if  the  Oriental 
ever  came  to  the  point  where  he  was  seriously  consid- 
ering Christianity,  he  himself  would  speak  of  it.  They 
had  often  talked  together  about  the  deeper  things  of 
life  and  Chu  had  asked  many  questions.  He  had  be- 
come almost  as  familiar  with  the  Bible  as  he  was  with 
his  own  classics.  He  told  Paul  that  before  he  knew 
him  he  had  looked  upon  Christianity  as  a  proselyting 
force,  and  had  never  thought  of  it  as  playing  a  part 
in  revolutionizing  national  life.  "  You  must  concede," 
he  would  say,  "  that  many  so-called  Christian  nations 
are  failing  to  carry  out  the  principles  of  your  Christ, 
for  how  can  a  nation  that  calls  itself  Christian  take 
advantage  of  a  weak  country,  as  nearly  all  the  nations 
have  taken  advantage  of  China?  Why  do  they  use 
force  when  they  ought  to  use  love?  How  can  they 
permit  the  things  within  their  own  border  which  obtain 
there?  Why  do  they  allow  whiskey  and  opium,  and 
such  things,  bearing  the  stamp  and  approval  of  their 

129 


130     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

governments,  to  be  sent  out  to  nations  that  are  not 
Christian  ?  " 

Paul's  first  inclination  was  to  apologize  for  the  coun- 
tries which  came  under  Chu's  just  reproach,  but  under 
his  keen  questioning  he  realized  as  never  before,  that 
these  nations  were  not  really  Christian,  and  that  their 
habits  of  life  were  detrimental  to  the  cause  and  spread 
of  Christianity. 

At  the  close  of  one  Lord's  Day,  when  many  in- 
quirers had  been  baptized,  Chu  was  sitting  with  Paul 
in  his  little  study. 

"  Chu,"  Paul  said,  "  I  am  wondering  why  Chris- 
tianity does  not  appeal  to  you — why  you  have  never 
thought  of  coming  to  us.  Others  are  coming,  most 
of  them  from  lower  classes  than  yours." 

"  My  friend,"  Chu  answered,  "  do  you  think  I  could 
have  lived  with  you  and  not  thought  of  this?  You 
must  know  I  have  considered  it.  But  I  want  to  ask 
you  whether  you  think  it  is  as  easy  for  a  man  of  the 
East  to  accept  Christianity,  as  it  is  for  one  of  the 
West?" 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  it  is,  and  I  want  you  to  know 
that  I  appreciate  the  difficulties  you  face.  But  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  time  has  come  when  this  question  can 
no  longer  be  avoided,  when  you  must  think  seriously 
of  Christianity  as  a  factor  in  the  future  of  your  nation's 
life,  as  well  as  your  individual  relationship  to  it." 

"  I  have  thought  of  my  individual  relationship  to 
it,"  answered  Chu,  "  and  I  have  thought  of  it  in  its 
relation  to  my  country  and  to  other  religions.  Mr. 
Redmond,  there  are  several  things  that  keep  me  from 


SEEKING  THE  ETERNAL  131 

accepting  your  religion.  One  is  the  fact  that  Chris- 
tianity does  not  recognize  any  good  in  other  religions. 
Practically  every  man  who  preaches  Christianity  con- 
demns all  others  and  accepts  nothing  from  them.  What 
are  you  going  to  do  with  the  great  men  that  China 
has  produced?  In  what  place  will  you  put  Confucius 
and  Laotz?  The  attitude  of  Christianity  to  the  mem- 
ory of  my  ancestors  is  most  difficult  for  me,  for  I 
cannot  turn  my  back  upon  all  the  past, — the  past  that 
has  made  me,  that  is  responsible  largely  for  what  I 
am.  Then,  again,  it  is  most  difficult  for  me,  and  for 
those  of  other  Eastern  religions  when  we  look  on  what 
you  call  your  denominations.  If  Christ  is  one,  why 
should  there  be  so  many  divisions  among  his  followers  ? 
Why  do  you  divide  into  sects  and  write  creeds?  It 
is  all  very  confusing  to  an  Oriental  mind,  and  if  Chris- 
tianity is  so  vital  that  it  is  to  be  carried  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  why  do  the  nations  who  are  called  Chris- 
tian live  so  utterly  out  of  harmony  with  the  gospel  of 
your  Christ  ?  You  know,  my  friend,  that  I  honor  your 
life  and  approve  it,  but  you  are  one  of  the  few  so- 
called  Christians  whose  lives  I  can  approve,  and  in 
whom  we  believe  we  see  the  real  exponents  of  the  doc- 
trines of  Jesus  Christ.  But  the  thing  that  troubles  me 
is  how  to  reconcile  doctrine  and  life." 

Such  discussions  now  became  almost  a  matter  of 
daily  occurrence  and  Paul  knew  that  Chu  was  facing 
the  real  issue.  He  knew  that  the  man  honored  the 
New  Testament,  and  had  come  to  believe  in  Christ  and 
His  mission  to  the  world;  but  he  also  knew  that  there 
were  many  elements  of  the  old  faith  which  he  could 


132     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

not  give  up.  Paul  explained  to  him  that  all  he  would 
have  to  abandon  in  his  old  belief  were  the  things  that 
were  false,  but  wherever  the  religions  of  China,  and 
Confucianism  in  particular,  contained  a  great  truth,  he 
should  cling  to  it;  that  Christianity  was  great  enough 
and  broad  enough  in  its  principles,  to  embrace  the 
truths  of  all  other  religions. 

He  was  very  patient  with  Chu  on  the  question  of 
ancestral-worship.  Paul  had  come  to  have  an  utterly 
different  conception  of  this  worship  than  he  had  had 
when  he  first  came  to  China.  He  knew  that  many 
deified  their  ancestors,  but  not  all,  and  as  he  talked 
with  Chu  he  discovered  a  clear  distinction  between 
holding  in  honorable  memory  those  who  had  gone  be- 
fore, and  making  gods  of  them. 

Two  things  seemed  to  disarm  Chu  more  than  any- 
thing else.  One  was  Paul's  frank  acceptance  of  the 
fact  that  Christians  were  not  living  as  near  to  the  ideals 
of  Christ  as  they  should;  the  other  was  his  utter  repu- 
diation of  denominationalism.  Paul  had  expressed  his 
hope  that  the  day  would  come  when  all  the  churches 
of  Christendom  would  be  united.  In  one  of  his  appeals 
to  Chu  he  said  that  he  believed  that  this  unity  was  fast 
coming  to  pass  in  China.  He  pointed  out  the  fact  that 
all  the  denominations  were  accepting  a  common  nomen- 
clature, that  the  distinctions  that  held  in  the  Western 
nations  were  disappearing,  and  that  as  they  faced  the 
common  task  of  a  nation's  regeneration,  they  were 
having  common  interests  in  education,  medicine  and 
literature.  All  of  this  appealed  to  Chu,  for,  with  his 
usual  insight,  he  at  once  saw  that  if  Christianity  was 


SEEKING  THE  ETERNAL  133 

to  minister  adequately  to  China's  national  life,  it  must 
do  it  in  a  united  way. 

One  night  he  came  to  Paul.  "  My  friend,"  he  said, 
"  you  know  I  would  do  anything  for  you,  but  of  course 
you  would  not  want  me  to  take  this  step  for  you  alone. 
I  know  very  well  that  you  want  it  to  be  a  matter  of 
conscience,  that  you  want  me  thoroughly  to  believe  in 
it.  You  have  convinced  me  on  most  of  the  things 
we  have  talked  about,  but  there  are  one  or  two  facts 
which  I  feel  you  must  know  before  I  can  become  a 
Christian.  First  of  all,  I  want  you  to  know  that  I 
am  a  revolutionist."  He  paused  for  a  moment,  for  this 
was  a  revelation,  and  Paul  was  amazed  at  this  side 
of  his  friend  that  he  had  not  glimpsed. 

"  I  do  not  look  upon  the  Emperor  as  the  Son  of 
Heaven,"  he  went  on.  "  I  believe  that  the  present 
regime  in  China  must  pass,  that  the  Manchu  dynasty 
must  disappear,  and  in  order  to  accomplish  this  some 
of  us  must  take  a  very  prominent  part  in  overthrow- 
ing it.  In  doing  so  I  am  afraid  that,  as  a  Christian, 
I  might  bring  the  faith  into  disgrace.  I  love  my 
country.  I  have  loved  you  because  you  love  it;  but 
I  wonder  if  you  realize  that  Christianity  is  at  utter 
variance  with  all  the  principles  upon  which  a  govern- 
ment like  ours  is  founded.  It  is  more  so  than  many 
men  from  the  West  realize,  yet  I  appreciate  that  you 
cannot  come  out  openly  and  proclaim  yourself  a  revo- 
lutionist, nor  do  I  want  you  to,  except  as  your  religion 
teaches  the  truth.  But  can  I  become  a  Christian  and 
go  on  doing  these  secret  things,  which  may  eventually 
overthrow  my  government  ?  " 


134     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

This  revelation  troubled  Paul  a  great  deal,  for  it 
was  difficult  for  him  to  answer  the  questions  that 
Chu  had  raised.  He  tried  to  persuade  Chu  that  the 
right  course  to  pursue  would  be  to  work  within  the 
government  itself  and  not  conspire  to  overthrow  it, 
but  he  only  smiled. 

"  Ah,  that  shows  your  ignorance,  my  friend,"  he 
said,  "  and  you  will  forgive  me  for  speaking  so 
plainly.  When  that  terrible  event  of  1900  occurred, 
the  people  of  your  country  and  other  foreign  lands  said 
that  the  Empress  Dowager  was  crazy.  The  Empress 
Dowager  was  the  seer  of  her  age.  She  knew  that  if 
Christianity  was  not  expelled  from  China,  the  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  would  one  day  drive  the  Manchu 
dynasty  from  its  throne.  And  it  will  yet  be  so.  The 
more  Christianity  increases,  the  more  the  Manchu 
dynasty  must  decrease.  It  is  inevitable." 

"  Well,  then,  why  not  become  a  Christian  if  you  love 
your  country?"  asked  Paul. 

"If  the  rebellion  that  is  sure  to  come  should  fail, 
then  I,  as  a  Christian,  would  bring  harm  to  others  of 
like  faith.  When  I  become  a  Christian,  it  will  not  be 
merely  to  accept  its  doctrines,  but  its  life.  I  believe 
Confucianism  and  other  religions  where  they  are  true, 
but  they  do  not  vitalize  life.  Confucianism  is  five 
hundred  years  older  than  Christianity.  Buddhism 
came  at  the  very  time  Christ  was  doing  his  work  in 
the  little  country  that  you  call  the  Holy  Land.  Yet 
these  religions  have  not  cleaned  the  streets,  they  have 
not  stamped  out  the  opium  curse,  they  have  not  done 
the  things  that  China  needs  to  have  done  for  its  life. 


SEEKING  THE  ETERNAL  135 

I  believe  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  but,  my 
friend,  it  is  the  life  and  the  practical  living  of  it  that 
is  vital  to  me.  I  have  grown  to  love  your  Christ  so 
much  that  I  would  not  want  to  dishonor  his  name  in 
the  expression  of  love  for  my  country." 

Chu  did  not  yield  at  once.  He  never  did  anything 
in  a  hurry.  The  whole  training  of  his  race  was  against 
it.  He  finally  asked  Paul  if  he  could  spare  him  for 
several  weeks,  as  he  wanted  to  go  home.  Paul  knew 
he  would  not  make  that  request  if  it  were  not  im- 
portant, so  he  helped  him  to  start  at  once.  He  waited 
eagerly  for  the  return  of  his  friend,  for  he  missed  him 
greatly.  When  he  came  his  father  came  with  him. 
Paul  had  met  the  elder  Chu  many  times,  and  he  was 
glad  to  see  him  again,  for  he  honored  the  father  of 
such  a  man  as  his  friend.  The  old  man  asked  him 
for  an  interview,  and  they  went  apart  at  once.  His 
face  showed  tremendous  sorrow. 

"  I  come  today  to  plead  with  you  for  my  son,"  he 
said.  "  I  come  to  beg  that  you  will  not  take  him 
away  from  the  religion  of  his  fathers.  I  come  to  ask 
you  to  give  him  back  to  me." 

Paul  was  astounded. 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  take  your  son  from  you,"  he 
replied.  "  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean." 

"  I  mean  that  my  son  is  about  to  leave  us.  I  under- 
stand that  your  father  disinherited  you  because  of  your 
fanaticism  in  coming  to  China.  He  was  a  wise  father. 
You  may  be  doing  something  for  the  city — I  will  admit 
that  you  are  helping  to  rid  China  of  the  opium  curse — 
but  you  are  doing  a  terrible  thing  when  you  come 


136     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

between  father  and  son.  I  cannot  consent  that  my 
son  shall  become  a  Christian.  In  all  the  history  of  the 
Chu  family,  which  runs  back  in  an  unbroken  line  to  the 
days  of  the  Christ  you  worship,  there  has  never  been 
one  who  has  not  been  faithful  to  Confucius.  And 
now,  why  should  you,  sir,  come  and  win  my  son  away 
from  me  and  away  from  the  name  of  his  father?  " 

Paul  was  exceedingly  tender  with  the  old  man.  He 
tried  to  show  him  that  it  was  not  an  individual  matter, 
but  that  men,  to  be  true  to  themselves,  must  follow 
the  truth  as  they  see  it,  no  matter  what  it  costs  them. 
He  realized  then  that  the  great  heart  and  brain  of  his 
friend  were  inherited  from  his  father.  He  had  never 
heard  such  an  argument,  he  had  never  known  such 
pleading,  he  had  never  seen  such  wrath.  When  he 
left  he  forbade  Chu  ever  again  to  use  his  name,  or 
claim  to  be  his  son. 

There  was  deep  sorrow  in  Paul's  heart  for  his 
friend.  They  were  drawn  even  closer  together.  Chu 
stood  side  by  side  with  Paul  as  a  Christian,  for  both 
had  learned  the  meaning  of  Christ's  saying :  "  If  ye 
forsake  not  father  and  mother  ye  are  not  worthy  of 
me."  What  a  Christian  he  was!  He  accepted  the 
life  of  Christ,  and  he  mingled  with  it  all  the  mysticism 
and  idealism  of  the  East. 


XX 

CHANGING  THE  OLD 

EVERY  barrier  that  had  existed  between  Paul 
and  Chu  was  removed  by  Chu's  conversion. 
They  were  together  constantly.  Paul's  loneli- 
ness, his  longing  for  Madeline,  and  the  whole  worry 
and  responsibility  that  had  been  his,  were  much  light- 
ened because  his  friend  had  become  a  Christian. 

In  the  early  spring  months  they  walked  about  the 
city  frequently  and  often  went  far  into  the  country. 
Their  usual  route  was  to  the  west  and  north  of  the 
city,  along  the  canal,  and  out  by  the  lake.  Whenever 
they  walked  along  the  shores  of  the  latter  and  looked 
out  over  its  waters,  Paul  dreamed  of  the  time  when 
it  should  be  drained, — but  how,  he  was  trying  to  de- 
termine. 

He  spoke  of  it  to  Chu.  Since  his  conversion  Chu 
had  become  much  interested  in  Paul's  plan,  and  every 
fear  of  the  wind  and  water  spirits  had  passed  from 
his  mind.  This  had  been  replaced  by  a  sort  of  reck- 
lessness which  sometimes  comes  to  those  who  adopt  a 
new  religion,  and  his  attitude  was  something  like  that 
of  the  iconoclast,  whose  desire  is  to  change  all  institu- 
tions. 

One  night  as  he  talked  to  Chu  of  his  dream,  Paul 
pointed  over  the  waters. 

"  Let  us  go  out  there  to  the  tea-house,"  he  said, 

187 


138      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  and  see  what  really  needs  to  be  done  to  this  old  lake 
to  prevent  the  floods." 

They  followed  the  cobblestone  path  until  they  came 
to  a  series  of  pontoons  built  out  into  the  lake  in  the 
form  of  a  walk  three  boards  in  width.  Over  these 
pontoons,  which  rested  on  small  boats,  and  which 
could  be  swung  open  when  necessary,  they  passed  to 
the  little  tea-house  built  on  stilts  in  the  water.  The 
tea-house  is  the  forum  of  China.  Here,  during  the 
day,  the  news  of  the  crowded  streets  is  interchanged; 
at  night  it  is  a  place  of  popular  resort,  built  out  upon 
the  lake.  They  found  very  few  people  in  the  little  tea- 
house on  the  lake  at  that  early  hour  in  the  afternoon. 
The  painted  dancing  girls  passed  them  closely  where 
they  sat,  with  the  evident  desire  of  obtaining  a  closer 
view  of  the  handsome  young  foreigner.  Other  for- 
eigners had  been  there,  but  they  did  not  look  like  this 
one,  and  the  word  ran  about  that  this  was  Mr.  Red- 
mond, the  man  who  had  fought  opium  and  cholera. 
These  women,  who  had  only  known  foreigners  of  low 
motives,  looked  with  wonder  upon  the  man  whom  they 
knew  to  be  doing  so  many  things  for  the  city  of  Fou 
Cheo. 

The  proprietor  of  the  tea-house  came  to  them  and 
bowed  politely,  for  he  knew  that  Redmond  was  fast 
becoming  a  man  of  influence  in  the  city.  He  told  Paul 
that  he  wanted  him  to  be  his  guest  as  he  drank  his  cup 
of  tea.  Paul  smiled.  "  Thank  you,"  he  said,  "  but 
that  would  be  impossible.  I  have  invited  my  friend 
here  to  drink  with  me." 

They  sat  near  one  of  the  open  windows  over  a  table 


BUT  HOW  CAN  IT  BE  DRAINED?  "  CHU  ASKED,  "  THIS 
WATER   IS   ALWAYS    HERE*' 


CHANGING  THE  OLD  139 

inlaid  with  mother  of  pearl,  and  looked  out  over  the 
broad  expanse  of  shallow  water. 

"But  how  can  it  be  drained?"  Chu  asked,  "this 
water  is  always  here." 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,"  Paul  answered  truthfully, 
"  but  I'm  sure  it  can  be  done.  Every  bit  of  this  land 
can  be  reclaimed,  and  think  how  fertile  it  would  be! 
Think  of  the  rich  soil  that  has  been  carried  all  these 
centuries  into  this  lake.  It  must  be  drained." 

They  discussed  the  system  of  canals  that  ran  to  the 
great  river  far  back  into  the  interior,  touching  even 
the  Yellow  River  in  the  far  north. 

"  But  is  this  your  business  ? "  asked  Chu.  "  You 
came  out  to  make  this  land  Christian.  Is  it  a  part  of 
Christianity  to  give  back  land  to  the  people  ?  " 

Redmond  laughed. 

"  It  may  not  have  been  recognized  as  a  part  of  the  old 
Christianity,"  he  said,  "  but  the  religion  of  today  con- 
nects itself  absolutely  with  every  part  of  a  man's  life. 
You  know  how  those  streets  back  yonder  in  Fou  Cheo 
smell  with  their  wretched  surface  sewers.  You  know 
that  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  you  cannot  pass 
over  them.  That  must  be  changed.  When  we  drain 
this  lake,  we  must  run  a  sewer  under  the  city  that 
will  carry  off  the  refuse  so  that  it  will  be  impossible  for 
vermin  to  breed  and  disease  to  spread." 

Chu  laughed. 

"You  can  do  a  lot  of  things,  my  friend,"  he  said, 
"  but  from  the  way  you  dream,  I  sometimes  think  you 
are  almost  wild." 

They  left  the  tea-house  and  were  escorted  to  the 


140     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

very  edge  of  the  lake  by  the  proprietor.  This  dream 
had  become  a  fixed  passion  with  Paul,  and  he  was 
laying  his  plans  actually  to  begin  the  work  and  not  to 
wait  any  longer.  But  it  was  the  spring  of  the  year. 
That  very  night  the  rains  began  to  fall — not  little 
spring  showers,  but  the  rains  that  melt  the  snow  far 
up  in  the  mountains  and  hills,  the  rains  that  come  from 
skies  loosed  and  unfettered.  Paul  was  crushed  and 
discouraged,  for  he  realized  that  the  floods,  which  had 
come  and  gone  during  the  centuries,  were  again 
threatening  the  city  and  the  district.  He  hoped,  how- 
ever, that  it  would  not  be  serious.  He  had  not  experi- 
enced any  dangerous  flood  since  he  came  to  Fou  Cheo, 
but  now  he  dreaded  the  one  that  he  knew  was  ap- 
proaching. 


XXI 

THE  SOUND  OF  MANY  WATERS 

TO  the  west  of  the  city  of  Fou  Cheo  several 
canals  and  a  little  river  came  together.  Here 
a  small  town  had  been  built,  the  trade  of  which 
consisted  largely  in  supplying  the  boatmen  who  trav- 
eled the  canals  and  the  river  and  stopped  there  to 
procure  supplies.  Only  a  few  nights  after  Chu  and 
Paul  had  talked  about  the  draining  of  the  lake,  the 
dikes  in  the  far  district  suddenly  gave  way.  The 
canals  ran  full,  and  with  great  rapidity  and  without 
warning,  the  waters  rushed  down  upon  the  city  of  Fou 
Cheo.  The  flood  came  while  the  boatmen  and  their 
families  were  quietly  sleeping  in  hundreds  of  little 
house  boats  that  nestled  at  the  mouth  of  the  canals.  It 
struck  them  with  a  tremendous  force,  that  could  be 
likened  to  the  blow  of  Hercules.  At  first  they  felt 
only  an  unusual  rocking  of  the  boat,  and  a  few  of  the 
men,  believing  that  rain  was  approaching,  covered  their 
sails  with  bamboo  matting.  The  next  moment,  how- 
ever, the  water  came  out  of  the  night  with  a  mighty 
rush,  destroying  everything  before  it.  The  boats  were 
jumbled  and  thrown  together,  one  on  top  of  the  other, 
and  the  oncoming  water,  as  if  angry  at  this  obstruction 
in  its  wa*y,  seized  the  little  boats  by  the  hundreds  and 
flung  them  out  of  the  canal  into  the  larger  channel, 
where,  before  they  could  be  righted  or  rescued,  men 

141 


142     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

and  women  were  struggling  in  the  night,  calling  for 
their  children  and  crying  to  their  gods.  The  darkness 
was  intense.  Except  from  the  little  houses  on  the 
shore  which  were  lighted  only  by  candle  there  was  not 
a  ray  of  light.  Pandemonium  reigned  everywhere. 
The  men  able  to  handle  the  boats  in  which  they  lived 
all  their  lives  accomplished,  in  many  cases,  some  well- 
nigh  impossible  rescues.  But  the  morning  light  re- 
vealed the  bodies  of  women  and  children  who  had 
been  lost  in  the  struggle,  and  here  and  there  the  body 
of  a  man  who  had  died  in  an  effort  to  save  his  family. 
A  few  were  found  unconscious  on  the  banks,  but  hun- 
dreds had  gone  to  their  death. 

Chu  came  rushing  in  with  the  news  that  the  dike 
had  broken  a  few  miles  above  the  city.  The  water 
was  escaping  with  a  mighty  rush  into  the  already  filled 
canals.  Many  boats  had  been  overturned  and  people 
were  drowning  near  the  city.  In  the  city  itself  the 
water  was  rapidly  rising. 

"  I  am  told  that  farmers  are  coming  in  in  tubs,  on 
doors,  wreckage,  and  every  available  thing  that  will 
float,"  Chu  said.  "  Oh,  you  cannot  realize  what  awful 
suffering  is  before  my  people.  You  do  not  know  what 
they  will  have  to  endure." 

Together  with  Chu,  Paul  went  quickly  to  the 
scene  of  disaster.  He  saw  that  the  water  was  indeed 
menacing,  and  his  quickly  moving  mind  grasped  the 
situation.  Something  must  be  done  and  at  once.  He 
knew  their  first  problem  was  to  find  refuge  for  the 
people  whose  homes  were  being  flooded.  How  were 
they  to  fight  the  water?  If  this  dike  had  broken, 


THE  SOUND  OF  MANY  WATERS       143 

others  would  break.  He  hurried  to  the  Yamen,  where 
he  found  his  friend,  the  magistrate,  who,  through 
Paul's  influence,  had  been  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
city.  Very  quickly  he  pointed  out  that  two  or  three 
of  the  big  temples  in  the  city  which  were  on  high 
ground  should  be  vacated  and  made  habitable  for  the 
refugees.  "  But,"  said  the  magistrate,  "  it  will  require 
days  to  get  them  ready  in  the  manner  you  have  indi- 
cated, for  we  move  slowly  in  China." 

"  If  you  will  give  me  the  funds  I  will  see  that  this 
thing  is  put  through  and  without  graft,"  said  Paul.  "  I 
will  see  that  a  place  is  prepared  where  they  can  rest 
safely." 

Then  he  appealed  to  the  selfish  side  of  the  old  man's 
nature.  "  I  will  see  that  this  is  done,"  he  said,  "  not 
in  my  name,  but  in  yours.  Thus  you  will  be  honored 
as  never  before,  because  of  what  you  will  have  done 
for  the  people.  After  all,  you  know  China  is  like  any 
other  country.  The  people  remember  only  those  who 
do  the  most  to  serve.  We  have  often  talked  about 
what  must  be  done  with  this  lake  and  the  dikes.  We 
must  go  today  and  study  the  system.  We  must  exam- 
ine those  dikes,  the  breaking  of  which  would  flood  the 
city  and  the  district,  and  we  must  work  to  save  them. 
Perhaps  we  can't  do  anything  now  with  those  that 
have  already  broken,  but  we  must  save  those  that  still 
hold  and  keep  them  from  collapsing  and  destroying 
the  city." 

The  urgency  of  the  whole  situation  was  upon  Paul's 
soul.  At  first  he  was  unable  to  make  the  magistrate 
believe  that  anything  could  be  done.  The  pioneer 


144.  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

spirit  within  him  delighted  in  the  work  at  hand;  of 
organizing  the  work  of  relief  and  of  saving  the  city. 
He  asked  the  magistrate  to  call  together  a  group  of  the 
business  men,  the  teachers,  the  leading  Buddhist  and 
Taoist  priests,  and  the  old  French  Catholic  priest  who 
resided  in  the  district. 

Meanwhile  he  secured  a  boat  and  went  with  a  few 
men  over  several  miles  of  the  city.  He  explained  to 
Chu  just  what  he  had  in  mind  to  do. 

"  But  isn't  it  too  late  ?  "  asked  Chu.  "  The  water 
has  come." 

"  Yes,  the  water  has  come,"  Paul  made  reply.  "  But 
it  is  not  too  late  to  help  those  who  are  suffering." 

He  found  that  the  water  was  still  rising,  which 
indicated  that  other  dikes  had  broken.  It  was  now  so 
high  that  they  could  easily  row  across  the  country  in 
any  direction.  Their  boats  were  able  to  cross  farms 
he  had  often  visited.  Here  and  there  they  picked  up 
people  from  the  tops  of  houses.  Men  and  women  were 
seen  on  the  tops  of  straw  stacks  and  on  the  straw 
roofs  of  their  mud  houses.  In  the  distance  he  saw 
buildings  crumble  away,  with  people  clinging  to  the 
roofs  and  bits  of  debris.  Children  were  drowning 
before  his  eyes. 

One  scene  occurred  which  Paul  was  never  to  forget. 
The  waters  were  creeping  up  around  a  farmhouse. 
The  father  instructed  his  boy  of  about  ten  years  of 
age,  to  bring  to  safety  the  support  of  the  family,  a 
water  buffalo.  The  boy  jumped  on  the  back  of  the 
hairy,  large-horned  animal,  and  started  to  direct  him  to 
safety,  when  a  sudden  onrush  of  waters  overturned  the 


THE  SOUND  OF  MANY  WATERS       145 

animal.  The  boy  clung  to  him  with  the  faithfulness 
of  an  officer  who  has  been  commissioned  to  a  last  duty, 
but  finally  he,  too,  was  swept  away.  Then  Paul  noticed 
another  object — a  mangy,  ragged  dog,  swimming 
toward  the  boy  as  he  struggled  in  the  water.  The  dog 
let  the  boy  sink  once  or  twice,  then  finally  grasped  his 
thick  clothing  and  kept  him  afloat  until  Paul  and  the 
man  in  the  boat  could  go  to  the  rescue.  Afterwards, 
Paul  learned  that  the  dog  had  been  a  stray  and  a  wan- 
derer, when  this  boy  found  him  and  fed  him.  Then, 
when  the  waters  came,  the  dog  remembered  his  friend 
and  paid  his  debt. 

The  Chinese  boatmen  did  not  want  to  save  the  dog 
and  started  to  push  him  off,  but  Paul  interfered. 
"  He  is  the  hero,"  he  said,  "  we  must  save  them  both." 

Farther  out  in  the  district  they  passed  a  little  steam 
launch  packed  to  the  limit  of  its  capacity.  He  sent  Chu 
back  to  the  city  with  the  instructions  to  hire  all  the 
launches  and  boats  that  he  could  procure  and  send  them 
out  over  the  district. 

When  Paul  returned  to  the  city  he  was  truly  a  man 
of  sorrow.  The  sorrows  of  the  past  had  been  largely 
those  which  had  filled  his  own  life.  Those  tragedies 
had  helped  him  better  to  understand  pain  and  suffer- 
ing. These  new  sorrows  which  were  crowding  in  upon 
him  were  the  sorrows  of  others,  but  he  felt  them  as  his 
own. 

When  he  reached  the  Yamen  he  was  surprised  to  find 
a  large  group  of  representative  men  awaiting  him.  He 
greeted  the  old  Catholic  priest  cordially.  They  had 
met  before,  but  had  never  been  thrown  together  in 


146     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

their  work.  He  outlined  in  a  word  to  Father  Parrish 
what  he  wanted  to  do. 

The  old  priest  listened  in  silence  and  then  answered : 

"  My  son,  I  rejoice  in  this  great  plan.  I  am  glad 
you  have  influence  enough  with  the  magistrate  to  get 
him  to  yield  to  your  wishes.  You  can  count  upon  me. 
I  want  to  enlist  as  a  private  in  the  ranks  and  will  be 
glad  to  go  out  and  do  anything  that  I  can.  For  half 
a  century  I  have  labored  with  these  people.  They  are 
truly  my  people.  I  have  seen  floods  come  and  go,  and 
we  have  helped  only  our  own  people.  It  seems  almost 
impossible  for  you  to  do  all  that  you  desire,  but  in 
this  modern  time  men  are  accomplishing  the  apparently 
impossible  in  business  and  in  science,  and  why  should 
we  not  work  the  impossible  for  God  ?  " 

The  magistrate  spoke  first.  He  told  the  business 
men  that  something  must  be  done. 

"  You  know,"  he  said,  "  the  government  usually 
appropriates  enough  money  to  provide  a  small  bowl  of 
rice  a  day,  but  this  young  man  who  has  led  us  in  re- 
forms, is  urging  us  to  undertake  something  that  is 
really  worth  while.  I  am  going  to  ask  him  to  speak 
at  this  time." 

Paul  had  not  intended  to  talk,  but  he  now  stood 
before  them,  and  in  the  simplest  Chinese  explained 
what  he  had  in  mind.  He  burned  into  their  minds  the 
tragedies  occurring  in  the  district,  with  which  most 
of  them  were  familiar,  and,  taking  a  rough  piece  of 
charcoal,  he  outlined  on  a  piece  of  paper  the  city  and 
the  district.  He  then  showed  them  where  the  dikes 
had  broken,  and  pointed  out  where  others  were  dan- 


THE  SOUND  OF  MANY  WATERS       147 

gerous.  He  convinced  them  that  these  must  be  saved, 
while  the  work  of  rescue  and  relief  went  on. 

With  his  quick  business  instinct  he  also  estimated 
the  expense.  The  magistrate  designated  the  sum  that 
he  would  give.  Paul  turned  to  the  rich  men  of  the 
district,  with  whom  he  had  had  little  in  common,  and 
said: 

"  I  know  that  this  good  friend  of  mine  intends  to 
give  liberally,  but  I  don't  want  him  to  give  it  all." 

The  next  few  moments  of  that  meeting  were  to  be 
recorded  in  the  history  of  the  city.  The  sum  of  money 
subscribed  seemed  fabulous  to  that  group  of  men. 

In  the  midst  of  the  pledging  the  rich  man,  who  had 
taken  note  of  the  amount  given,  said : 

"  Mr.  Redmond,  may  I  say  just  one  word?  For  a 
long  time  I  have  realized  that  the  kind  of  work  you 
want  to  do  is  sadly  needed.  Not  only  must  present 
relief  be  given,  but  a  great  deal  will  remain  to  be  done 
after  the  water  has  subsided,  so  for  every  dollar  that 
the  magistrate  and  the  others  give,  I  will  give  a 
dollar." 

The  group  of  rich  and  cultured  men  broke  into  ap- 
plause. Paul,  displaying  his  Occidentalism,  wept  in 
the  presence  of  them  all. 

The  old  French  priest  stood  up  and  said : 

"  You  know  that  many  times  Protestants  and  Cath- 
olics have  been  enemies,  but  I  want  you  to  know  that 
the  work  of  this  young  man  has  my  approval,  and  I 
am  willing  to  go  out  there  to  the  dikes  as  a  laborer 
and  do  anything  that  he  tells  me  to  do." 

"And    I"— "And    I"— "And    I"— came    from 


148     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

many.  Men  who  had  never  toiled  a  day  in  their  lives 
stood  up  declaring  they  would  go  anywhere  and 
do  anything  that  this  young  man,  "  their  general,"  as 
they  called  him,  suggested.  Paul  was  greatly  moved 
by  this  demonstration,  but  it  was  not  a  time  for  emo- 
tion. 

"  Men,"  he  said,  "  we  must  have  a  committee  to 
handle  this  large  sum  of  money — also  a  treasurer." 

A  committee  was  soon  appointed.  The  rich  man  of 
the  district  came  forward  again. 

"  Friends,"  he  said,  "  you  know  what  a  vast  sum  of 
money  we  will  have  to  turn  over,  because  of  what  has 
been  subscribed  and  what  will  be  subscribed.  There 
is  only  one  man  who  can  be  treasurer,  and  that  man 
is  Mr.  Redmond.  I  move  that,  therefore,  we  make  him 
the  treasurer  of  this  committee." 

The  committee  appointed  represented  the  wealthy 
class,  the  literati,  the  elders  of  the  city  and  the  officials. 
Many  of  these  men  knew  how  the  hilltop  priest  had 
fought  Paul  and  planned  to  undermine  his  influence 
and  even  to  destroy  him.  No  native  priest  had  been 
named.  Paul  pointed  him  out. 

"  I  want  my  good  friend  here,"  he  said,  "  the  hill- 
top priest,  to  be  placed  on  this  committee,  for  we  are 
going  out  in  the  name  of  all  classes  and  all  religions 
to  save  the  city." 

If  there  had  been  any  question  as  to  his  leadership, 
or  the  success  of  his  plans,  that  doubt  was  now  re- 
moved. They  cheered  him  because  they  all  recognized 
his  act  as  the  moving  of  a  magnanimous  spirit,  re- 
turning good  for  evil. 


THE  SOUND  OF  MANY  WATERS       149 

There  was  little  time  for  rest  or  sleep  during  the 
next  few  days.  From  the  leading  men  of  the  city 
Paul  picked  out  those  who  he  thought  could  accom- 
plish what  they  had  set  out  to  do,  and  placed  in  their 
hands  his  carefully-laid  plans.  To  one  he  explained 
his  drawing  of  the  proposed  refugee  camps.  It  was 
crude,  but  it  included  a  well  thought-out  plan  for  sani- 
tation. He  tried  to  place  the  refugees  in  various  parts 
of  the  city,  out  of  the  reach  of  high  water.  The  work 
of  feeding  them  was  one  of  the  most  difficult  tasks. 
He  knew  that  at  this  point  graft  was  liable  to  enter, 
so  he  put  Chu  in  direct  charge  of  it.  He  told  Chu 
very  plainly  why  he  was  appointing  him  to  handle  the 
money,  and  see  to  the  feeding  of  the  people. 

"  You  must  take  a  receipt  for  every  penny,"  he  im- 
pressed upon  him.  "  You  must  keep  a  full  statement 
of  money  expended  so  that  we  can  afterwards  post  it 
on  the  city  wall.  Already  we  have  heard  intimations 
of  the  probability  of  graft  entering  into  the  financial 
end  of  this  project.  I  am  going  to  show  them  that 
at  least  one  enterprise  in  China  can  be  carried  on 
without  it.  I  am  going  to  put  the  hilltop  priest  on  the 
committee  with  you.  You  know  the  proverb  says — 
that  '  to  close  the  mouth  of  an  enemy  is  to  do  more 
than  destroy  the  walls  of  his  camp.' ' 

Paul  remained  constantly  in  direct  charge  of  the 
work,  going  twice  a  day  to  all  the  camps,  where  the 
people  were  being  fed  in  the  morning  and  in  the  after- 
noon. He  had  estimated  how  much  was  required  to 
sustain  life  and  they  were  giving  ample  rations. 

The  Chinese  doctor  was  also  doing  heroic  work.    In 


150     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

spite  of  all  his  precautionary  measures  in  the  handling 
of  ten  thousand  people,  disease  was  slowly  creeping 
into  the  camp,  and  the  work  was  becoming  more  com- 
plicated. 

Paul's  influence  had  grown  marvelously,  and  the 
demands  upon  him  were  greater  than  ever.  Yet  the 
great  unselfish  service  he  was  rendering  these  people 
was,  even  then,  being  misconstrued.  Some  there  were 
who  questioned  his  motive,  giving  him  credit  for  noth- 
ing, beyond  a  spirit  of  self-seeking  and  aggrandize- 
ment. 


XXII 
THE  SERVICE  OF  SALVATION 

THE  waters  had  receded,  and,  together  with 
some  of  the  men  who  had  led  in  the  work  of 
rescue,  Paul  made  a  careful  survey  of  the  whole 
district.  He  knew  that  if  the  enormous  task  of  re- 
building the  dikes  was  to  be  accomplished,  he  must 
enlist  a  large  number  of  workmen.  His  hope,  of 
course,  was  in  the  thousands  of  refugees  who  had 
gathered  in  the  camps.  Up  to  this  time  he  had  not 
mentioned  his  plan  to  drain  the  lake,  for  it  would 
necessarily  have  brought  about  an  opposition,  which 
would  have  been  fatal  to  his  scheme.  He  went  to  the 
magistrate  and  again  told  him  of  his  plans.  Formerly 
the  magistrate  had  considered  them  too  Utopian,  and 
had  never  given  them  serious  thought.  But  now  that 
this  young  man  had  succeeded  so  well,  he  was  pre- 
pared to  listen  the  more  eagerly  to  him. 

"  But  to  whom  shall  this  land  belong  ?  "  he  asked 
Paul.  "  It  is  close  to  the  city,  really  a  part  of  it,  and 
is  very  valuable  land.  What  can  we  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  be  done,  it  must  be  given 
to  the  poor  people  who  have  been  driven  from  their 
homes,  and  in  this  way  we  can  keep  it  clear  from 
graft." 

He  asked  the  magistrate  not  to  mention  his  plan 
until  he  had  an  opportunity  to  talk  with  some  of  the 

151 


152     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

other  leaders,  and  he  went  at  once  to  the  rich  man  of 
the  district. 

"  I  want  your  support  in  a  great  enterprise  that  I 
have  in  mind,"  he  said. 

He  then  pointed  out  the  lake  on  a  map  and  ex- 
plained why  he  thought  its  drainage  was  necessary, 
and  what  it  would  accomplish — how  it  would  prevent 
a  repetition  of  the  recent  catastrophe,  and  reclaim  a 
large  tract  of  valuable  land.  He  even  showed  him 
what  an  underground  sewer — a  thing  then  unheard  of 
in  China — would  do  if  it  could  be  built  in  connection 
with  draining  the  lake. 

"  But  let  me  say  right  here," — and  Paul  was  em- 
phatic in  his  statement — "  Let  me  say  right  here  that 
this  land  should  go  to  the  people  who  have  lost  their 
homes — it  belongs  to  them.  All  of  this  work  has  been 
carried  on  for  the  poor  people  of  the  district,  and  we 
must  continue  to  carry  it  on  for  them." 

The  rich  man  hesitated  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
spoke :  "  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  you  are  teaching  us 
the  practice  of  unselfishness,  for  in  the  past  we  thought 
only  of  securing  things  for  ourselves,  but  it  is  true 
that  we  are  now  coming  to  feel  that  only  when  we  help 
others  are  we  doing  a  real  service." 

With  the  magistrate  and  the  man  of  wealth  back  of 
him,  Paul  carried  his  plan  to  others.  Many  of  the 
priests  opposed  it,  but  the  people  treated  their  opposi- 
tion with  derision. 

"  One  day  we  would  have  listened  to  you,"  they  said, 
"  one  day  we  would  have  supported  you  in  your  oppo- 
sition, but  now  we  are  very  sure  that  the  spirits  of 


THE  SERVICE  OF  SALVATION          153 

the  lake  are  willing,  and  we  are  not  afraid  that  the 
wind  and  water  spirits  will  hinder  us.  We  believe 
they  bless  us,  for  in  the  past  this  lake  has  been  the 
cause  of  a  great  deal  of  destruction  of  property,  and 
we  must  not  let  it  happen  again." 

Belief  in  the  influence  of  the  wind  and  water  gods 
is  one  of  the  deepest  founded  superstitions  of  Chinese 
life.  It  is  the  common  belief  that  to  disturb  either  the 
wind  or  the  water  is  to  set  restless  forces  in  motion 
that  bring  destruction.  Thus,  while  some  of  the  lead- 
ers were  convinced  that  the  lake  should  be  drained,  the 
project  was  not  to  go  forward  without  bringing  a 
multitude  of  questions  to  the  minds  of  the  people. 

Paul  was  wise  enough  to  send  for  a  skilful  engineer 
and  the  cost  of  the  project  was  carefully  estimated. 
The  man  marveled  much  when  he  learned  that  the 
project  was  not  to  profit  Paul  financially.  He  at  once 
confirmed  the  missionary's  opinion  that  the  land  would 
be  the  most  valuable  and  the  richest  in  all  the  district; 
valuable  because  of  its  proximity  to  the  city,  and  rich 
because  of  the  deposits  left  upon  it  by  the  waters. 

"  I  do  not  want  a  foot  of  it,  or  a  dollar  that  shall 
come  out  of  it,"  Paul  told  the  engineer,  "  for  I  am 
doing  this  for  the  people,  and  those  who  come  out 
here  to  do  this  kind  of  work  must  not  profit  thereby 
or  their  influence  will  be  lost." 

An  army  of  almost  ten  thousand  men  moved  out 
into  the  country.  Those  in  charge  went  with  a  double 
commission — first,  to  build  a  great  dike;  second,  to 
build  it  well.  The  dike  was  to  be  five  feet  higher  than 
the  highest  rise  of  water  recorded  in  the  history  of  the 


154  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

district,  and  it  was  to  be  strong  enough  easily  to  with- 
stand any  possible  flood. 

Paul  had  thoroughly  organized  his  corps  of  men. 
Those  employed  as  laborers  were  the  famine  and  flood 
refugees.  They  were  substantial  men  of  the  district, 
and  this  employment  was  enabling  them  to  care  for 
their  families,  for  they  were  paid  a  small  sum  besides 
being  fed  and  housed.  They  knew  that  they  were  help- 
ing to  save  their  homes  for  the  long  future,  and  put 
their  hearts  into  the  work. 

It  was  a  queer-looking  procession  that  moved  out 
along  the  broken  dikes  and  banks  of  the  river  and 
canal.  The  central  force  was  Redmond — he  was  every- 
where. The  men  were  clad  in  blue  muslin  trousers — 
and  while  working,  were  bared  to  the  waist.  In  the 
throng  were  hundreds  of  women  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  working  in  the  rice  and  wheat  fields,  and  who 
were  glad  to  receive  daily  rice  and  the  few  cash  that 
the  work  afforded.  They  went  out  carrying  the  straw 
matting  that  had  been  purchased,  and  in  a  brief  time 
the  camp  was  completed.  The  little  huts  were  only 
about  five  feet  at  the  highest  point,  and  the  beds  were 
of  straw,  thrown  upon  the  ground.  The  early  light 
(for  the  Chinese  are  the  earliest  risers  in  the  world) 
found  them  moving  out  to  their  work. 

Mud  from  the  bottom  of  the  rice  fields  and  canals 
was  carried  in  wicker  baskets,  and  piled  and  pounded 
by  shovels  until  no  water  that  might  come  could 
break  it. 

The  foreign  engineer  laughed  as  he  remarked  that 
if  this  dike  were  to  be  built  in  America  tens  of  thou- 


THE  SERVICE  OF  SALVATION          155 

sands  of  dollars  would  be  used  for  dredges,  pile 
drivers,  etc.,  while  here,  this  ragged,  hungry  army 
went, out  with  spades,  carrying  poles,  wicker  baskets 
and  picks,  to  dig,  to  fight  quicksand,  and  to  build  that 
which  would  save  homes  and  protect  crops  for  years 
to  come. 

The  building  of  the  dikes  took  up  the  greater  part  of 
the  summer  and  fall.  In  connection  with  the  reclaimed 
land,  Paul  went  to  the  Governor  and  proposed  a  re- 
forestation of  the  district,  which  that  functionary 
promised  would  be  undertaken. 

Through  this  vast  army  of  men  the  familiar  figure 
of  the  old  evangelist  moved  constantly,  for  he  was 
telling  them  a  different  story  from  any  he  had  ever 
related  as  a  story-teller, — he  was  telling  them  of  God 
and  of  Christ.  They  listened  intently  and  day  after  day 
the  point  was  made: 

"  Do  you  want  to  know  why  this  young  man  is 
doing  this  for  you?  Let  me  tell  you  why.  It  is  be- 
cause his  doctrine  and  his  religion  demand  service." 

The  work  had  gone  on  splendidly  for  some  time, 
when  one  day  Chu  came  to  Paul  with  a  rumor. 

"  I  am  greatly  disturbed  by  the  things  I  hear,"  he 
said.  "  Some  of  the  men  who  have  been  placed  over  this 
work  are  demanding  that  the  laborers  pay  them  a 
certain  percentage.  What  the  Chinese  call  the 
'  squeeze '  is  being  used,  and  out  of  this  vast  work 
someone  is  going  to  grow  rich.  The  men  are  saying 
that  you  are  demanding  this  money.  I  know  it  is  not 
true,  but  something  must  be  done  to  stop  the  rumor 
at  once." 


156     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Paul  was  troubled,  and  immediately  set  to  work  to 
locate  the  source,  moving  carefully  but  surely.  He 
suspected  the  rumor  came  from  a  group  of  priests  who 
were  jealous  of  his  remarkable  success.  He  consulted 
the  old  Catholic  father. 

"  My  boy,"  said  Father  Parrish,  "  I  have  often  mar- 
veled that  it  did  not  come  sooner.  But  now  that  it 
has  come  we  will  fight  it  together." 

After  much  searching  Paul  found  that  his  surmise 
was  a  correct  one.  It  was  the  priests  who  were  re- 
sponsible for  the  rumors. 

"  I  feel  that  the  hilltop  priest  is  the  chief  culprit," 
said  Paul. 

"  That  cannot  be,"  answered  Chu,  "  for  I  have  won- 
dered at  his  friendship  and  his  loyalty,  and  I  believe 
the  trouble  starts  with  someone  else." 

With  Western  directness  Paul  called  in  the  priest. 

"  I  simply  want  to  ask  you  about  this  thing  I  hear," 
he  said,  "  I  want  to  know  the  truth." 

"  My  friend,"  said  the  priest,  "  for  you  are  now  my 
friend,  I  confess  that  some  of  the  priests  are  at  the 
back  of  this,  and  I  will  not  be  a  traitor  and  betray 
them.  But  I  assure  you  I  am  not  one  of  them.  Do 
you  remember  the  little  boy  who  was  swept  from  the 
back  of  the  water  buffalo, — well,  he  and  the  others 
that  you  saved  that  morning,  were  among  my  family. 
The  priest  of  every  religion  goes  out  from  home,  but 
where  is  the  man  who  does  not  want  those  from  whom 
he  came  to  live  and  be  happy  ?  You  saved  mine, — we 
cannot  be  enemies, — we  must  be  friends." 

He  outlined  very  clearly  where  the  whole  difficulty 


THE  SERVICE  OF  SALVATION          157 

lay,  and  this  enabled  Paul  to  stamp  out  a  scheme  of 
graft  such  as  he  had  never  before  encountered,  for  a 
man  of  the  Occident  can  scarcely  realize  the  extent 
to  which  this  form  of  bribery  enters  into  everything 
in  the  Orient. 

The  weeks  went  on  and  the  dike  was  nearing  com- 
pletion when  Paul  noticed  that  they  were  building  a 
structure  in  connection  with  it  which  was  not  a  part  of 
the  original  plan.  He  tried  to  find  out  what  it  was, 
and  was  told  that  he  must  not  ask.  He  was  fearful 
that  they  were  building  an  idolatrous  temple  to  the 
wind  and  water  gods.  When  he  asked  Chu,  the  only 
answer  he  received  was :  "  It  is  not  that.  But  you 
had  better  not  inquire  further." 

Then  one  day  they  sent  for  him.  That  which  had 
mystified  him  was  a  tablet  placed  on  the  dike,  bearing 
his  name,  and  as  he  read  it  he  was  greatly  moved, 
realizing  what  it  represented. 

"When  the  lake  yonder  has  been  drained,"  they 
said,  "  we  will  not  only  put  up  a  tablet,  but  a  pagoda, 
with  your  name  upon  it." 

"  No,  no,  I  forbid  it.  This  is  enough,"  said  Paul. 
"  I  am  glad  you  have  seen  fit  to  honor  me  in  this  way, 
but  I  forbid  you  to  do  more, — you  must  not,  for  I  am 
not  doing  it  for  honor." 

They  had  succeeded  in  keeping  disease  out  of  the 
camps,  but  now,  just  as  the  dike  was  completed  and 
the  work  of  draining  the  lake  was  commenced,  typhus 
fever  broke  out.  Paul  sent  at  once  for  Dr.  Means,  for 
he  wanted  his  advice  as  to  the  best  method  of  combat- 
ing this  dread  disease.  The  good  doctor  came  with  his 


158     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

usual  friendliness  and  laid  out  a  great  plan  and  made  it 
very  clear  to  Paul  that  he,  too,  must  be  exceedingly 
careful. 

"  Look  at  yourself,"  he  said.    "  You're  a  fine  sub- 
ject for  fever  now." 


XXIII 
THE  PASSION  OF  REVENGE 

ONE  night  when  the  dike-building  was  at  its 
height,  a  sallow,  slender  figure,  yet  straight  as 
an  arrow,  came  to  the  door  of  the  mission 
house. 

"  This  is  a  blasted  poor  place  for  a  white  man  to 
live,"  cried  a  high-pitched,  nasal  voice.  "  Where  is 
that  young  fool  who  lives  in  it  ?  " 

Paul  was  resting  after  a  hard  day's  work,  but  he 
sprang  to  his  feet  instantly  and  a  glad  look  came  into 
his  tired  eyes,  as  he  recognized  the  voice  of  Captain 
Jenkins.  He  rushed  out  to  greet  him  and  found  the 
old  man  swearing  profusely  at  the  Chinese  servant, 
who  was  answering  him  in  his  native  tongue. 

"  A  man  would  think  you  were  a  criminal  of  some 
sort  to  see  you  here  hiding  yourself  in  such  a  place 
as  this/'  was  the  captain's  greeting.  "  By  gad,  this 
beats  the  worst  picture  I've  drawn  of  this  damn  fool- 
ishness of  yours,  and  if  I  don't  have  you  out  of  this 
in  the  next  forty-eight  hours,  my  name's  not  Jen- 
kins." 

Paul  was  shaking  the  old  man's  hand  and  there  was 
a  suspicion  of  tears  in  his  eyes,  for  his  joy  in  seeing 
him  was  very  real. 

"  Who  in  the  name  of  a  torn  sail  is  dead  ?  What 
are  you  crying  about?" 

159 


160     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Paul  laughed. 

"  Well,  I  see  you  haven't  changed  any." 

"  Yes,  I  have,"  he  answered.  "  I  never  felt  so 
mean  in  my  life  as  I  feel  after  comin'  up  here  through 
all  these  smells." 

Then  his  manner  softened. 

"  Lad,  I'm  sure  glad  to  see  you.  I  got  a  lay-off  for 
a  few  days  just  to  come  up  and  surprise  you,  for 
everybody  in  this  whole  damn  country  is  talking  about 
what  you  are  doing,  and  I  thought  I  would  come  to 
see  if  there  is  really  anything  in  it,  or  if  the  whole 
bunch  of  them  are  liars.  I  wonder  if  you  can  find  a 
place  to  bunk  me  for  a  night  or  two." 

"  No.  Of  course  there  would  be  no  place  in  this 
house  for  you,  so  you  will  have  to  go  to  our  Astor 
House  or  some  one  of  the  other  hotels  in  the  city,"r 
Paul  jested. 

The  old  man  smiled. 

"  I'd  last  in  one  of  the  hotels  that  you  have  in  this 
town  about  ten  minutes." 

When  the  servants  and  helpers  about  the  mission 
house  found  out  who  the  old  man  was,  they  joined 
heartily  with  Paul  in  his  entertainment,  for  the  cap- 
tain was  known  to  the  magistrate  and  to  many  of  the 
men  of  the  district  who  had  traveled  on  his  boat.  They 
could  not  talk  to  him  in  English,  but  they  did  every- 
thing possible  to  show  him  honor  as  a  friend  of  their 
benefactor's. 

The  captain  went  everywhere  with  Paul,  studying 
the  work  in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  the  latter 
noticed  that  he  did  not  condemn  missions  as  much  as 


THE  PASSION  OF  REVENGE  161 

usual.  He  went  to  the  camps  where  the  women  and 
children  were  being  fed,  and  was  interested  in  the 
construction  of  the  dikes. 

He  stood  one  night  with  Paul,  looking  out  over  the 
land  where  the  lake  had  once  been. 

"  Son,"  he  said,  "  if  this  had  been  done  at  home  the 
magazines  would  have  made  a  hell  of  a  man  out  of 
you.  Some  of  the  enterprises  that  our  country  is 
spendin'  big  sums  of  money  on  can't  be  compared  to 
this,  and  here  you  are,  buried  in  this  hole  in  the  ground, 
workin',  workin',  workin'.  And  I  guess  you're  not 
the  only  one,  lad.  All  over  this  land  men  like  you  have 
been  doin'  this  kind  of  work  for  all  the  years  that 
I've  been  walkin'  up  and  down  the  deck  of  my  boat 
cussin'  'em.  I've  been  callin'  some  of  these  fellows 
like  Means  and  others  fools,  when  I've  needed  to  go 
and  look  into  the  glass  and  see  who  the  damn  fool 
really  was." 

Paul  placed  his  hand  caressingly  on  the  old  man's 
shoulder. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  it  is  good  to  know  that  you  are 
coming  to  believe  in  us  a  little  more." 

"  Well,  boy,  I'm  like  all  the  rest  of  those  fellows 
who  cuss  missions  up  and  down  this  coast.  I've  never 
been  in  a  hospital,  I've  never  been  in  a  school,  I've 
never  seen  the  work.  Let  the  likes  of  me  come  and 
see  a  work  like  this,  and  if  they've  got  an  ounce  of 
brains,  they'll  know  who  the  fools  are." 

The  captain  was  now  just  as  violent  in  his  condem- 
nation of  those  who  criticised  missions,  as  he  once 
jjad  been  against  the  missionaries  themselves. 


162     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

It  was  during  the  days  of  the  captain's  visit  that  it 
was  reported  to  Paul  that  a  great  many  people  were 
complaining  because  the  lake  had  been  drained.  The 
priests  were  telling  them  that  the  typhus  fever  had 
been  sent  to  them  because  they  had  disturbed  the  spirits 
of  the  water. 

On  the  last  night  of  the  captain's  visit,  he  and  Paul 
were  sitting  in  the  latter's  little  study  when  a  neigh- 
bor rushed  in,  crying  out  that  the  dike  was  being  de- 
stroyed by  a  mob.  Paul  could  not  believe  that  such 
a  thing  was  really  happening,  but  servants  and  others 
came  hurrying  to  him  with  the  same  news. 

He  turned  to  the  captain. 

"  Stay  here  until  I  return,"  he  said.  "  I  am  going 
to  look  into  this." 

"  Stay  here — nothing!  "  returned  the  captain.  "  I'm 
going  with  you.  Come  on." 

They  hurried  down  the  streets,  gathering  friends  and 
neighbors  as  they  went,  for  the  report  that  a  mob  was 
destroying  the  dike  next  to  the  large  canal,  so  that 
the  old  lake-bed  would  be  flooded  again,  spread  quickly 
throughout  the  city.  The  magistrate  had  already  com- 
manded the  few  soldiers  stationed  in  the  city  to  dispel 
the  mob,  and  the  crowd  that  gathered  and  followed 
them  was  armed  with  carrying  poles  and  every  other 
available  weapon. 

Paul  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  mob  bent  on  the 
work  of  destruction  consisted  of  several  hundred  men. 
He  commanded  the  soldiers  not  to  shoot  unless  it  was 
absolutely  necessary.  When  he  approached  the  mob 
they  cried  out :  "  Kill  the  foreign  devil — kill  him." 


THE  PASSION  OF  REVENGE  163 

He  saw  that  persuasion  was  impossible — that  the  only 
thing  to  be  done  was  to  drive  them  off  by  superior 
force. 

The  captain  had  not  hesitated  for  a  moment,  for 
down  through  the  mob  he  went,  cursing  and  swearing 
at  the  top  of  his  lungs.  Paul  saw  him  take  a  big  Colt's 
revolver  from  his  pocket,  and  called  to  him  not  to  shoot. 
Among  those  who  were  trying  to  destroy  the  dike  Paul 
heard  some  talking  English  and  he  knew  that  the 
enemies  who  had  followed  him  for  so  many  months 
were  about  to  accomplish  their  end.  He  prayed  that 
in  the  darkness  the  captain  would  not  see  them,  for  he 
remembered  his  vow  that  if  ever  they  crossed  his  path 
he  would  kill  them,  and  he  knew  that  the  old  man's 
hatred  had  grown  no  less,  and  that  he  would  surely 
keep  his  word. 

From  the  water's  edge  on  one  side  of  the  dike,  to 
the  mud  of  the  lake-bed  on  the  other,  the  two  opposing 
factions  fought,  some  armed  with  staves,  others  with 
spades  and  picks.  Men,  holding  each  other  by  their 
queues,  rolled  over  and  over  in  the  mud,  and  men  in 
silks  fought  with  men  in  cotton.  The  best  fighters  to 
save  the  dike  were  the  women,  whose  homes  would 
be  secure  if  it  were  saved. 

Paul  shrank  from  striking  these  men  who  had  once 
been  his  friends,  but  he  was  trying  to  save  the  dike 
and  at  the  same  time  avoid  bloodshed  as  much  as  possi- 
ble. He  stood  on  the  top  of  the  dike,  silhouetted 
against  the  sky,  when  he  heard  a  pistol  shot  and  the 
whiz  of  a  bullet,  and  from  down  in  the  mud  and  mire 
of  the  dike  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  captain. 


164     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  Get  down  on  your  face,  man,"  he  cried. 

Paul  dropped  to  the  ground,  and  he  saw  the  flash  of 
a  revolver  as  it  shot  out  into  the  night.  It  was  pointed 
in  the  direction  of  the  captain's  voice. 

"  Ha,  it's  you,  is  it  ?  And  you'd  kill  us  here  in  the 
night,  you  damn  scoundrels,"  cried  the  captain. 

Then  Paul  heard  the  captain's  revolver,  the  cry  of 
a  man  and  another  shout  from  the  captain. 

"  By  gad,  I've  got  you  at  last,"  he  said.  "  I  didn't 
know  when  it  would  be  or  where.  You'd  ruin  men's 
reputations,  would  you?  You'd  destroy  a  man's  good 
works?  Well,  you'll  do  it  no  more." 

One  of  the  traffickers  was  dead. 

The  firing  of  the  revolvers  had  scattered  and  quieted 
the  mob.  Fearing  that  he  had  been  shot,  Paul's  friends 
called  out  to  him.  He  answered  them  reassuringly, 
but  his  chief  concern  was  for  the  others  who  had  been 
hurt.  Lanterns  were  lighted  and  a  search  for  the 
wounded  of  both  sides  made  and  preparation  begun  to 
carry  them  to  the  hospital. 

The  captain  was  silent  as  he  walked  in  the  little 
procession  on  its  way  to  the  hospital.  When  he  passed 
into  the  lighted  interior  Paul  saw  that  his  face  was 
white  and  drawn.  He  went  quickly  to  him. 

"  What's  the  trouble?  "  he  asked. 

"  Well,  I  guess  you'd  better  let  that  pill  slinger  of 
yours  probe  around  in  one  of  my  wings.  Somebody 
put  some  lead  into  my  arm." 

Paul  was  amazed  when  he  realized  that  the  old  cap- 
tain had  fought  on  after  he  was  wounded,  and  had 
afterward  walked  nearly  two  miles  in  the  darkness. 


THE  PASSION  OF  REVENGE  165 

He  stood  with  uncovered  head  before  this  man,  who 
had  so  signally  proved  his  courage  and  devotion.  Men 
who  talk  much,  suffer  in  silence. 

"  By  gad,  I  had  a  hunch  that  I  ought  to  come,"  said 
the  captain  at  length.  "  If  I  hadn't  a-come,  they'd 
a-gotten  you,  lad;  and  I'm  afraid  for  you  even  now, 
for  one  of  them  got  away  in  the  dark.  Don't  think 
the  fight's  over.  It's  only  begun." 

As  the  captain  had  fought,  so  could  he  prophesy. 


XXIV 
GRATITUDE'S  EXPRESSION 

CAPTAIN  JENKINS  stayed  only  until  the  doc- 
tor told  him  that  he  could  go.  Then  he  went, 
with  many  words  of  caution  and  advice  to 
Paul. 

The  damage  that  had  been  done  to  the  dike  was 
quickly  repaired,  and  the  scourge  of  typhus  fever 
seemed  now  to  be  under  control. 

One  morning  Paul  did  not  rise  fom  his  bed,  and  the 
doctor  went  to  him  and  examined  him  thoroughly. 
When  he  left  the  room  his  face  was  troubled. 

"  Send  for  Dr.  Means  at  once,"  he  said  to  Chu. 

Soon  the  business  of  the  whole  city  was  practically 
stopped;  for  down  the  narrow  streets,  and  into  the 
homes  of  the  rich  and  of  the  lowest  coolie,  ran  the 
sad  news  that  Paul  Redmond  was  ill  with  typhus  fever. 
On  the  hilltop,  in  the  dirt  and  filth  of  his  temple,  the 
priest  bowed  his  head  and  prayed,  "  Buddha,  may  he 
live — may  he  live." 

Dr.  Means  came  across  the  country  from  Nanking 
on  a  swift  horse.  Upon  reaching  the  mission  house 
he  found  that,  although  he  had  neither  the  daring  nor 
the  experience  of  this  veteran  of  a  half  of  a  century, 
the  Chinese  doctor  had  done  everything  in  his  power 
for  Paul.  In  a  short  time  the  whole  arrangement  of 
the  mission  house  was  changed,  and  a  thorough  hospi- 

166 


GRATITUDE'S  EXPRESSION         167 

tal  equipment  installed.  Then  the  doctor  rubbed  his 
hands  together  as  he  stood  talking  to  Chu  and  to  the 
old  Catholic  priest,  who  had  come  immediately  upon 
hearing  of  Paul's  illness. 

"  Now  for  the  battle,"  he  said.  "  We've  got  a  man 
of  splendid  physique,  but  we  also  have  one  who  is  tired 
and  worn,  which  offers  a  serious  handicap." 

For  two  whole  days  Means  remained  constantly  with 
Paul.  "  We  must  have  a  nurse,"  he  said  on  the  third 
morning.  "A  trained  woman.  Father  Parrish  can't 
do  it  all.  He  is  doing  as  much  as  he  can,  but  some- 
one else  must  be  sent  for." 

A  few  days  later  a  beautiful,  sad-faced  girl  stood  at 
the  door  of  the  mission  house  asking  Chu  for  the 
doctor.  She  could  not  speak  Chinese,  but  Chu  had 
sufficient  English  to  ask  her  for  whom  she  was  looking. 

"  I  wish  to  see  Dr.  Means,"  she  said.  "  I  am  a 
nurse." 

The  doctor  came  to  her.  "  I  am  a  friend  of  Mr. 
Redmond's,"  she  said,  "  and  if  you  will  permit  me 
J  want  to  nurse  him." 

It  seemed  extraordinary  to  the  old  doctor  that  this 
girl  should  come  just  at  that  time,  and  he  wondered 
who  she  was,  and  how  she  had  heard  of  Paul's  serious 
illness. 

"  Are  you  a  trained  nurse  ?  "  he  chopped  out. 

She  hesitated  a  moment. 

"  Yes,  I  have  had  some  training,  which  I  think  suffi- 
cient." 

"  I  fear  that  if  you  are  not  a  graduate  nurse  you 
won't  do.  It  is  necessary  that  you  should  have  had 


168     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

some  experience  in  nursing  typhus  fever.  Have  you 
ever  nursed  such  a  case  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  have  not." 

"  Well,  my  dear  girl,  I'm  afraid  you  won't  do.  I 
don't  know  who  you  are,  and  I  can  take  no  risks  at 
this  time." 

Tears  came  to  the  eyes  of  the  girl,  and  she  spread 
out  her  hands  impulsively. 

"  Oh,  please  do  not  send  me  away,"  she  said. 
"  Surely  there  is  something  I  can  do.  I  will  do  the 
most  menial  work  if  you  will  only  let  me,  for  Mr.  Red- 
mond once  did  a  great  service  for  me.  Now  that  he 
is  ill,  doctor,  you  will  let  me  endeavor  to  repay  him, 
won't  you  ?  " 

The  old  doctor  was  moved. 

"  Well,  perhaps  I  can't  do  less  than  to  try  you.  But 
you  will  have  to  obey  orders.  When  you  go  inside 
the  house,  you  must  remember  there  must  be  no  dis- 
play of  sentiment." 

"  You  can  count  upon  it  that  I  will  do  everything 
you  tell  me,  doctor,"  the  girl  answered  eagerly. 

"  Well,  that's  all  right.  Perhaps  you  had  better  tell 
me  who  you  are." 

She  looked  steadily  into  his  eyes  for  a  moment. 

"  Doctor,  my  name  is  Catherine  Williams,"  she  said. 
"  Mr.  Redmond  was  a  friend  to  me  once  when  I  needed 
a  friend.  Is  that  not  enough  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  suppose  it's  all  I  am  going  to  get,"  was 
the  reply. 

The  girl  gave  close  attention  to  the  doctor's  instruc- 
tions, and  after  the  test  of  the  long  and  anxious  weeks 


GRATITUDE'S  EXPRESSION        169 

which  followed  was  over  the  doctor  recalled  that  he 
had  never  had  to  repeat  his  orders. 

The  Chinese  questioned — "  Whence  came  this 
woman  ?  Who  is  she  ?  " 

"  She  is  a  nurse." 

But  Father  Parrish  put  to  her  the  question  which 
the  doctor  had  withheld. 

"  My  child,"  he  asked,  "  how,  and  why,  did  you 
come  ?  " 

"  I  was  in  Fou  Cheo  and  heard  that  Mr.  Redmond 
was  very  ill.  At  one  time  in  his  life  he  did  a  great 
service  for  me,  so  I  came  to  see  if  I  could  not  serve 
him  in  return." 

"  You  have  a  sad  face,"  said  the  old  priest,  "  but 
somehow  I  believe  you  are  on  the  path  of  God." 

"  I  am,"  was  the  simple  reply. 

When  Catherine  Williams  first  went  to  Paul's  bed- 
side he  was  muttering  in  delirium.  Now  he  was  com- 
manding the  army  of  workmen;  again  he  was  talking 
to  the  magistrate  about  the  lake;  again  he  seemed  to 
be  talking  to  Chu  as  they  used  to  chat  in  his  little  study; 
again  he  was  fighting  with  the  old  captain  to  save  the 
dikes;  at  times  his  heart  reached  out  over  the  seas 
to  his  father  as  he  called  to  him  by  name.  But  more 
often  it  was  Madeline  whom  he  named  in  his  mutter- 
ings.  Only  occasionally  would  he  recognize  the  doctor. 

Many  people  fought  for  the  life  of  Paul  Redmond. 
The  whole  city  was  not  only  interested,  but  anxious, 
and  there  was  always  a  throng  of  people  at  the  mis- 
sion house,  inquiring  as  to  his  condition.  In  the  early 
morning  the  magistrate's  chair  was  daily  carried  to 


170     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN   - 

the  door,  where  the  official  called  in  person,  hoping  to 
be  permitted  to  see  the  sick  missionary.  The  elders 
and  teachers  in  their  silken  robes,  the  merchants,  the 
hilltop  priest,  coolies,  and  mothers  with  babes,  were 
in  the  throng  that  came  for  news.  It  soon  became  nec- 
essary to  send  out  bulletins  reporting  his  condition,  and 
great  throngs  pressed  about  them  when  they  were 
posted  in  the  large  tea-houses  of  the  city.  Father  Par- 
rish,  who  had  a  large  number  of  Catholic  churches 
under  his  supervision,  sent  out  appeals  to  them  all. 

"  Pray  every  morning  and  evening,"  he  told  them, 
"  that  the  life  of  this  young  Protestant  missionary  be 
spared,  if  it  is  according  to  the  will  of  God." 

In  the  Protestant  homes  and  chapels,  not  only  in  the 
places  where  Paul  labored,  but  in  neighboring  prov- 
inces where  the  people  knew  of  his  work,  daily  prayer 
was  offered  for  his  recovery. 

One  day  Chu  brought  a  piece  of  astounding  news  to 
the  doctor.  "  Truly  a  miracle  has  happened,"  he  said. 
"  Something  that  I  have  never  heard  of  before  in  all 
the  history  of  China  has  come  to  pass.  This  morning 
fifty  business  men  and  merchants — not  Christians — 
went  to  the  temples  in  the  city  and  asked  the  priests 
to  say  to  their  gods  that  each  was  willing  to  give 
a  year  of  his  life  to  be  added  to  the  life  of  Mr.  Red- 
mond; doctor,  will  he  live?" 

"  I  can't  say  whether  he  will  or  not,  for  no  man 
can  know  that,  but  we  must  fight  this  fever  back  to 
normal.  Twice  I  thought  we  had  won,  but  each  time 
it  broke  with  increased  fury,  and  what  the  end  will 
be,  no  one  can  tell." 


GRATITUDE'S  EXPRESSION        171 

Catherine  Williams  was  sitting  by  the  bed  of  the 
unconscious  man.  He  had  recognized  her  once  or 
twice,  and  had  smiled  wanly  and  thanked  her  for  com- 
ing. This  appreciation  had  been  very  dear  to  Cath- 
erine. As  she  sat  with  him  this  night  the  name  of 
Madeline  was  often  upon  his  lips.  He  was  living  again 
the  hour  he  had  gone  to  her  when  her  mother  had 
died,  and  she  had  given  herself  so  entirely  to  him. 
His  mind  wandered  back  to  the  time  when  they  had 
planned  the  future  together  and  he  was  again  plead- 
ing with  her  to  follow  him  on  this  world  trail  which 
he  had  chosen.  He  repeated  word  for  word,  to  the 
listening  girl,  his  talk  with  Madeline  that  day  in  Yoko- 
hama, opening  to  her  the  door  to  that  part  of  his  life 
which  had  seemingly  touched  hers  so  incidentally,  but 
which,  it  was  now  revealed  to  her,  had  affected  his 
life  so  vitally.  Now  he  was  saying  things  which  she 
knew  he  had  never  before  uttered. 

"  Madeline,"  he  was  pleading,  "  she  was  only  a  bit 
of  wreckage  floating  on  the  surface  of  life's  ocean. 
Why  should  I  not  have  spoken  to  her?  If  her  grati- 
tude found  expression  in  the  way  it  did,  what  mattered 
it?  I  shall  always  be  true  to  you,  and  how  I  have 
suffered  no  one  shall  ever  know,  but  I  can  be  truer  to 
you  since  I  have  helped  a  woman  who  has  fallen  by 
the  way.  It  was  good  of  you  to  come,  Madeline — " 
the  girl  at  his  side  was  listening  with  blanched  face 
and  beating  heart — "it  was  good  of  you  to  come,  dear, 
now  that  I  am  ill,  and  it's  good  of  you  to  be  with  me 
when  I  shall  go  on  the  long  voyage." 

Catherine  sought  to  quiet  him. 


172     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  Yes,  yes,  Madeline,  I  know  it  will  be  all  right.  I 
will  be  quiet  now.  Perhaps  I  have  talked  too  much, 
but  just  kiss  me  and  I'll  go  to  sleep." 

The  girl's  heart  stood  still. 

"Why  don't  you  kiss  me,  dear?" 

She  hesitated  for  a  moment,  then  she  pressed  her 
Kps  against  his  hot  forehead.  He  murmured  a  word 
of  thanks  and  turned  over  to  sleep — the  first  time  in 
many  days. 

When  the  old  priest  came  to  the  room  in  the  early 
hours  of  the  morning  to  relieve  her  from  her  long 
vigil,  he  saw  that  her  face  was  white  and  drawn,  as 
though  she  had  been  crying. 

"Child,"  he  said,  "have  you  been  quite  careful? 
We  cannot  let  this  disease  lay  its  terrible  hand  upon 
you." 

She  said  nothing,  but  big  tears  stood  out  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  pry  into  your  heart.  You  are 
not  a  Catholic — but  can  I  help  you?  " 

Tremblingly  she  leaned  against  the  door  for  sup- 
port. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  know  who  I  am,"  she  asked.  "  I 
wonder  if  you  know  the  sorrow  I  have  caused  this 
man." 

"  Dr.  Means  and  I  have  often  questioned,"  he  re- 
plied. "  We  can  see  that  you  come  from  a  home  of 
culture,  and  we  have  wondered  if  you  were  the  girl 
who  came  out  here  and  refused  to  marry  him,  and 
then,  hearing  of  his  illness,  turned  again  to  him  in 
his  hour  of  need  ?  " 

"  No,  Father,  I  am  not  that  girl.    But  I  am  the 


GRATITUDE'S  EXPRESSION        173 

girl  whose  rash  act  caused  the  other  woman  to  turn 
from  him.  I  am  one  with  a  stained  past." 

"  Child,  whatever  you  may  have  been,  you  are  true 
now,  and  your  conduct  will  be  related  as  was  Mary's 
in  the  days  that  are  gone.  You  may  have  cost  him 
the  one  that  he  loved,  but  Dr.  Means  says  that,  should 
he  live,  you  will  have  saved  his  life.  Without  your 
tenderness  and  efficient  help,  Redmond  would  undoubt- 
edly have  died." 

Catherine  Williams  had  often  tried  to  pray,  but  in 
vain.  Now  she  prostrated  herself  on  her  bed  and 
sought  her  God.  When  she  returned  to  Paul's  room 
that  night,  she  came  unrested,  for  she  had  not  slept. 
She  came,  however,  with  a  peace  in  her  soul  she  had 
not  known  for  years. 

"  The  next  forty-eight  hours  will  decide  Paul's  fate," 
announced  Dr.  Means,  "  and  we  must  fight  harder 
than  before.  I  don't  know  just  what  we  can  do,  but 
we've  got  to  win  this  battle,  somehow." 

The  hilltop  priest  was  waiting  with  Chu,  for  he 
had  been  told  that  the  next  few  hours  would  be  deci- 
sive as  to  whether  the  missionary  would  live  or  die, 
and  Chu  saw  that  his  head  was  bowed. 

"  My  friend,  are  you  praying  for  Mr.  Redmond  ?  " 
he  asked. 

An  earnest  face  was  lifted  to  his. 

"  Honored  Sir,  I  have  caused  Mr.  Redmond  great 
sorrow,"  the  priest  replied.  "  With  others,  I  tried  to 
blacken  his  name,  even  to  take  his  life,  and  then,  when 
I  was  unable  to  do  so,  and  the  gods  I  worshiped  failed 
to  help,  he  came  and  saved  my  family.  Here  I  am, 


174.  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

still  wearing  the  gray  robes  of  a  Buddhist  priest.  On 
my  head  are  marks  that  shall  go  with  me  to  the  grave, 
— the  marks  of  the  vows  of  that  priesthood.  But  I 
know,  and  you  know,  that  Buddha  is  impotent  in  an 
hour  like  this.  Mr.  Redmond  told  me  that  many  of 
the  things  that  Buddha  taught  are  true,  but  I  know 
that  Buddha  cannot  reach  out  and  save  him  now  in 
his  hour  of  need." 

"  The  teachings  of  Buddha  have  not  kept  us  from 
sin,  have  they?  "  Chu  asked.  "  We  need  a  personality 
and  a  life  that  will  call  us  to  the  highest  and  to  the 
best,  and  Mr.  Redmond  has  shown  us  these  in  the  life 
of  Christ.  The  fact  that  he  not  only  preached  his 
doctrine,  but  lived  the  life,  is  what  won  me.  Don't 
pray  to  your  Buddha  today,  but  pray  to  God  in  the 
name  of  His  Christ." 

"  I  have  prayed,  and  I  am  praying,  and  will  pray," 
said  the  priest. 

Towards  morning  the  magistrate,  and  one  or  two 
others,  came  to  the  mission  house  and  silently  waited 
for  news.  The  doctor,  Catherine,  and  the  old  priest, 
had  been  in  the  sick  room  for  hours.  At  last  the  door 
opened  and  the  nurse  stood  on  the  threshold.  When 
the  silent  watchers  turned  to  look  at  her,  they  felt  as 
if  they  were  in  the  presence  of  a  being  from  another 
world.  Her  face,  though  beautiful  before,  was  now 
radiant  and  glorious.  It  was  the  face  of  one  who  had 
dared  much  in  her  service,  and  had  won — one  who 
had  been  born  again  in  the  struggle  of  that  sick 
room,  who  had  recognized  in  that  victory  a  direct 
answer  to  her  unceasing  prayer.  None  of  them  could 


GRATITUDE'S  EXPRESSION         175 

understand  her  language,  but  when  she  went  to  Chu 
and  took  his  hand  in  both  of  hers,  they  knew  as  they 
gazed  into  the  face  that  seemed  something  more  than 
human,  that  Paul  Redmond  would  live. 


XXV 
A  FRIEND  IN  NEED 

DURING  the  days  that  Paul  was  fighting  the 
typhus  and  battling  his  way  back  to  life,  one 
of  Frances  Stewart's  many  friends  in  China, 
to  whom  she  had  said,  "  I  always  want  to  know  when 
Paul  needs  me,"  wrote  her  about  his  illness.  Then 
when  the  rumor  went  out  that  he  could  not  live,  she 
cabled  Frances,  believing  that  she  and  Paul  were 
something  more  than  friends.  When  she  heard  that 
Catherine  Williams  was  nursing  him,  she  wrote  again, 
knowing  that  Frances  was  acquainted  with  the  part 
that  Catherine  had  played  in  Paul's  life. 

Frances  had  not  seen  Madeline  often  since  their 
first  talk  in  New  York  after  the  latter's  return  from 
China.  But  now  that  Paul  was  so  seriously  ill,  she 
felt  that  if  there  was  a  particle  of  love  in  Madeline's 
heart  for  him  she  would  show  it  and  go  to  him.  She 
did  not  care  to  see  Madeline,  so  she  called  her  over 
the  telephone. 

"  Madeline,  this  is  Frances  Stewart,"  she  said. 
"  I've  some  letters  here  and  a  cablegram  which  con- 
tain news  that  I  feel  you  ought  to  hear." 

She  read  the  cablegram  first,  and  then  the  letters. 

"  But  who  is  this  Catherine  Williams  ?  "  Madeline 
asked. 

"Don't  you  know?" 

176 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  177 

"  No." 

"  She  is  the  woman  who  they  said  kissed  Paul  on 
the  steamer." 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment. 

"  Frances,"  Madeline  finally  said,  "  I  think  we  need 
not  discuss  this  further.  It  is  unpleasant  to  me." 

When  Madeline  hung  up  the  receiver  she  was  in 
utter  despair. 

"  Then  it  is  true,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  I  knew 
that  my  intuition  was  correct.  I  have  been  disgraced 
and  he  has  been  disgraced,  for  he  must  have  sent  for 
her  when  he  was  ill,  and  she  went  to  him.  This  terri- 
ble woman  who  has  caused  me  so  much  heartache  is 
humiliating  me  again,  and  it  is  all  because  he  is  out 
there  in  that  horrid  land.  If  he  were  not  there  this 
would  not  have  happened.  Oh,  I  hate  the  land,  and 
the  work  he  is  doing,  and  that  woman  as  well.  Why 
can't  he  see  that  if  he  were  here  it  would  all  be  so 
different.  In  my  heart  I've  waited  for  him,  and  I've 
wanted  it  to  be  proved  that  I  was  wrong,  for  I  have 
loved  him, — I  love  him  now  and  shall  always  love 
him.  But  now  the  world  knows  that  this  woman  went 
to  nurse  him.  After  all  this  I  can  never  go  to  him, 
however  much  he  may  need  me." 

She  threw  herself  down  on  her  bed.  "  Oh,  God," 
she  cried,  "  I  am  sorry  that  I  was  right." 

Frances  Stewart  was  not  at  all  satisfied  with  the 
conversation  she  had  had  with  Madeline,  so  she  decided 
to  go  to  her  and  appeal  to  the  best  within  her.  She 
wondered  if,  in  the  past,  she  had  been  too  severe  with 
her.  She  went  to  the  house  unannounced  and  asked 


178     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

the  maid  who  came  to  the  door  to  direct  her  to  Made- 
line's room,  fearing  that  if  she  sent  in  her  name  she 
would  refuse  an  interview.  There  were  marks  of 
tears  on  Madeline's  face  when  Frances  entered  the 
room,  and  she  saw  the  depths  of  her  feelings  and  the 
hurt  she  had  received.  Frances  went  to  her  and  took 
her  tenderly  in  her  arms. 

"  Madeline,"  she  said,  "  I  have  been  hard  upon  you, 
I  know,  and  I  am  sorry.  I  have  been  bitter  over  the 
things  you  have  done,  but  I  know  now  that  it  is  be- 
cause you  did  not  understand.  I  have  come  to  you 
this  morning  as  I  would  to  a  sister,  so  I  want  you  to 
listen  to  me." 

It  was  with  the  greatest  tenderness  that  she  talked  to 
her  and  told  her  of  Paul's  work,  of  all  that  she  knew 
of  the  work  of  rescue — things  of  which  Madeline  knew 
nothing.  She  told  her,  once  again,  how  deeply 
wounded  Paul  was  as  a  result  of  his  separation  from 
her  in  Yokohama. 

Madeline  listened  eagerly  and  there  were  tears  in 
her  eyes.  "  But,  Frances,"  she  began,  "  how  can  you 
explain  this  woman's  going  to  him,  and  Paul's  action 
in  allowing  her  to  do  so?  I  know  that  he  might  not 
have  been  to  blame,  but  you  cannot  blame  me  for  ques- 
tioning. Is  there  any  woman  on  earth  who  would  not 
question  in  an  hour  like  this?  It  seems  to  me  that 
it  is  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  to  do,  under 
the  circumstances." 

"Ah,  how  little  you  understand,"  said  Frances. 
"  Nurses  are  scarce  in  the  East,  and  I  feel  certain 
that  this  girl  went  to  him  out  of  gratitude..  You  must 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  179 

not  think  of  her  as  a  designing  woman.  Somehow  I 
simply  feel  that  she  is  a  girl  with  a  great  sorrow,  and 
that  I  could  love  her,  even  though  she  has  been  way- 
ward." 

Madeline  sat  silent  for  a  long  time. 

"  Frances,"  she  said  at  last,  "  everything  within  me 
urges  me  to  go  out  to  Paul.  Yet  I  cannot.  Why,  I 
do  not  know,  for  God  knows  I  want  to  go,  and  I  am 
anxious  to  go  now.  But  I  cannot  go  to  stay,  and  if  he 
is  doing  the  things  you  say  he  is  doing,  then  the  woman 
who  marries  him  must  stay  with  him.  I  feel  that  my 
work  is  here,  Frances,  and  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
something  that  I  did  not  think  I  would  tell  anyone. 
I  am  going  to  marry  George  Curtis,  a  man  of  our  set. 
He  has  asked  me  often  since  Paul  went  away,  and  I 
have  now  decided  to  accept  him.  That  is  cutting  the 
last  tie.  I  believe  you  love  Paul,  for  if  you  did  not 
you  would  not  have  come  to  me  this  morning  pleading 
his  cause  in  the  way  you  have,  and  I  want  you  to 
know  that  nothing  on  my  part  shall  keep  you  from 
him." 

For  a  moment  Frances'  heart  leaped  and  she  won- 
dered whether  she  really  did  love  Paul.  Then  she 
turned  to  Madeline  with  shining  eyes. 

"  You  think  I  love  him  because  I'm  his  friend," 
she  said,  "  but  that  is  not  true.  I  honor  him  as  a 
friend  and  I  am  going  to  serve  him  as  a  friend.  What 
I  shall  do  for  Paul  will  be  unselfish,  for  I  am  more 
sure  than  you  think  I  am,  that  his  life  and  mine  can 
never  be  joined." 

Frances  went  directly  from  Madeline's  home  to  her 


180     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

father's  office.  She  sat  down  with  him  and  read  all 
the  letters  she  had  received. 

"  Father,  I  want  you  to  send  a  cable  asking  for 
information  about  Paul's  condition." 

She  went  home  to  wait  for  the  answer,  and  when 
Mr.  Stewart  gave  it  to  her  that  night,  he  saw  that  it 
brought  great  joy  to  his  daughter's  heart. 

"  Paul  lives,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Father,  I  want  you  to  understand  what  I  am  going 
to  say  to  you.  I  wish  we  could  go  out  to  China  again. 
I  know  Paul  will  be  convalescing,  but  you  will  remem- 
ber seeing  those  patients  who  had  had  typhus  fever 
about  the  little  hospital  there  and  how  long  it  took  them 
to  recover,  and  somehow  I  feel  that  mother  and  I  could 
help  him  in  that  terrible  Chinese  house.  People  will 
say  that  I  am  in  love  with  him,  and  our  going  out  there 
will  be  misunderstood,  but  when  we  know  our  own 
motives  are  right  why  should  we  care  what  the  world 
says  ?  " 

"  Why  not  have  him  come  here  ?  "  asked  her  father. 
"  I  will  go  to  his  father  and  I  believe  that  if  he  calls, 
Paul  will  come." 

Mr.  Redmond  had  heard  of  Paul's  illness.  He  had 
kept  himself  thoroughly  informed. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  Paul  come  home  and  rest," 
he  said  to  Mr.  Stewart,  "  if  it  means  that  he  is  coming 
to  stay.  You  may  consider  that  brutal,  but  if  he  is 
coming  merely  to  gain  strength  to  go  back  to  that 
country,  I  think  perhaps  he  had  better  stay  where  he 
is.  I  am  glad  of  your  own  personal  interest  in  him, 
but  I  must  make  it  very  clear  to  you  that  neither  he 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  181 

nor  you  must  thinl,  that  there  can  ever  be  any  of  the 
old  ties  between  us  until  he  relinquishes  this  mad  idea 
of  his  to  follow  a  path  such  as  no  Redmond  has  ever 
followed." 

Mr.  Stewart  decided  matters  quickly.  He  knew 
that  he  could  trust  Frances  not  to  do  anything  that 
would  embarrass  herself  or  bring  reproach  upon  his 
name.  So  it  was  decided  that  they  should  go  out  to 
Paul  in  his  hour  of  need. 


XXVI 
VICTORY  OF  EXAMPLE 

THE  whole  city  of  Fou  Cheo  rejoiced  over  Paul's 
recovery.  Dr.  Means  insisted  that  he  should 
go  away  for  a  rest  and  change  of  environment. 
At  first  Paul  refused,  but  finally  consented  to  take  a 
boat  trip  to  Hankow  with  the  old  captain. 

"That  is  not  enough,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  But  there  is  much  to  do  here,  doctor,  and  I  prom- 
ise you  that  I  will  not  overwork.  You  know  the 
Chinese  church  is  just  beginning  to  grow,  many  people 
desire  to  come  in,  and  our  helpers  are  not  all  they 
should  be.  I  feel  that  I  must  remain  near  this  cause 
that  I  love,  and  while  I  have  been  lying  here  these 
long  weeks,  I  have  realized  that  my  plans  for  the  city 
have  been  inadequate.  To  begin  with,  we  must  do 
something  with  these  filthy  streets.  A  new  magistrate 
is  coming  and  that  means  new  problems  and  there  are 
so  many  things  to  do,  and  then  the  welcome  news  has 
come  that  the  Stewarts  are  coming  back  and  I  must 
get  ready  for  them.  Let  me  stay,  except  for  a  brief 
trip  with  the  old  captain." 

Dr.  Means  was  forced  to  consent,  though  very  un- 
willingly, and  the  instructions  he  left  with  Chu  were 
minute  and  rigid.  During  his  convalescence  Paul  saw 
very  little  of  Catherine  Williams.  One  day  while  she 
was  still  ministering  to  him,  he  said  to  her,  "  Miss 

182 


VICTORY  OF  EXAMPLE  188 

Williams,  I  want  to  talk  with  you.  I  am  under  the 
impression  that  I  said  a  lot  of  foolish  things  in  my 
delirium.  I  want  to  acknowledge,  too,  if  I  can,  the  debt 
I  owe  you." 

"  Perhaps  some  day  we  shall  talk,"  was  her  only 
answer. 

When  Paul  was  able  to  be  about  again,  Dr.  Means 
came  to  examine  him  for  the  last  time.  The  period 
of  a  possible  relapse  had  passed. 

"  All  you  need  now  is  good  care  and  rest,"  he  said. 
Paul  heard  the  doctor  giving  Chu  his  last  instructions. 
He  wondered  why  they  were  not  being  given  to  the 
nurse,  but  Dr.  Means  explained  this  as  he  left  shortly 
after. 

"  Miss  Williams  has  asked  me  to  say  '  good-by  '  for 
her,"  he  said.  "  She  was  called  away  an  hour  ago, 
while  you  were  sleeping." 

Paul  was  disappointed  and  irritated.  There  were 
many  things  that  he  intended  to  say  in  the  way  of 
appreciation,  and  he  regretted  that  Catherine  had  gone 
away  without  giving  him  that  opportunity. 

"  Paul,"  the  doctor  continued,  "  that  girl  is  a  won- 
derful woman.  I  tell  you,  it  is  an  exhibition  of  mag- 
nificent courage  to  see  a  woman  fight  her  way  back 
to  purity,  and  then  accept  the  place  that  the  world 
gives  her  because  of  her  past.  And  that  is  what  this 
girl  has  done.  She  seems  to  feel  that  you  were  the 
one  who  saved  her.  She  is  one  of  the  best  nurses  I 
ever  had  on  a  case.  I'm  glad  she  was  here.  I  under- 
stand that  an  act  of  hers  robbed  you  of  the  woman 
you  were  to  marry,  and  no  doubt  you  have  blamed  her. 


184  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

But  if  a  man  ever  owed  his  life  to  a  woman,  you  owe 
yours  to  her." 

Paul  set  himself  to  the  task  of  getting  well.  If  he 
had  ever  doubted  the  wisdom  of  giving  himself  to 
China,  it  was  not  in  the  days  that  followed  his  sick- 
ness. The  people  overwhelmed  him  with  kindnesses 
that  at  times  were  a  tax  upon  his  strength.  He  gave 
much  of  his  thought  to  the  church,  and  talked  long 
with  Chu  on  the  subject  of  making  his  work  perma- 
nent. Chu  told  him  that  there  were  an  increased  num- 
ber of  inquirers  studying  the  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
but  he  did  not  mention  his  talk  with  the  old  hilltop 
priest,  for  he  did  not  want  to  raise  in  Paul's  heart  a 
hope  of  something  which  might  not  come  to  pass. 

A  few  days  later,  however,  Chu  came  in  with  a 
radiant  face. 

"  I  have  kept  many  visitors  from  you,"  he  said, 
"  but  there  is  one  here  now  whom  I  am  sure  you  will 
want  to  see." 

It  was  the  hilltop  priest,  and  Paul  greeted  him  very 
cordially. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  your  expressions  of  friend- 
ship, and  I  am  glad  you  have  come  to  visit  me,"  he 
said. 

The  priest  turned  to  Chu. 

"  Then  you  have  not  told  him  why  I  have  come  ?  " 

"No,"  answered  Chu. 

"  It  will  be  hard  for  you  to  believe  me,"  said  the 
priest  to  Paul,  "  because  I  have  opposed  you  and  have 
done  you  so  much  harm.  I  am  here  to  tell  you  that 
I  want  to  become  a  Christian." 


VICTORY  OF  EXAMPLE  186 

Paul  was  filled  with  astonishment,  but  before  he 
could  express  it  the  priest  went  on :  "  To  come  to  this 
decision  has  been  a  fight  such  as  you  cannot  appreciate. 
My  very  life  is  in  jeopardy.  I  have  promised  that  if 
ever  I  should  give  up  the  vows  of  the  Buddhist  priest- 
hood my  life  may  be  forfeited,  and  that  price  may  be 
exacted." 

Paul  was  deeply  moved.  Of  all  the  men  he  had  ever 
included  in  his  dream  of  leading  to  an  acceptance  of 
Christianity,  this  man  was  the  last.  Could  it  be  possi- 
ble that  this  one-time  enemy,  powerful  as  he  was,  was 
sincere  in  his  expression  of  his  faith  in  Jesus  Christ? 

The  native  church  greatly  rejoiced  in  this  conver- 
sion. Although  he  was  crude  and  uneducated,  as  were 
most  of  the  native  priests,  this  man  was  powerful.  As 
Paul  looked  upon  the  two  men  before  him,  one  a 
Confucianist  and  the  other  a  Buddhist,  he  wondered 
if  this  experience  was  not  prophetic  of  what  Chris- 
tianity would  do  for  China  and  for  the  world.  He 
longed  for  the  time  when  a  union  of  the  churches  in 
China  could  be  brought  about,  for  he  recognized  that 
division  was  a  mighty  hindrance  to  the  propagation 
of  Christianity.  The  results  in  Fou  Cheo  exemplified, 
unquestionably,  just  what  Christian  forces  when 
united  could  accomplish. 

But  for  the  hilltop  priest  new  problems  had  arisen 
of  which  he  had  'never  dreamed.  His  brother-priests 
had  hated  the  foreigner,  but  the  human  heart  is  so 
peculiarly  constituted  that  the  deepest  hatred  is  the 
hatred  of  kind,  the  hatred  of  a  brother  far  worse  than 
that  of  a  neighbor,  and  so  when  the  enmity  of  the 


186  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN  ! 

priests  went  out  against  him  it  was  far  greater  than 
that  which  they  held  against  one  not  of  their  own  kind. 
Their  vengeance  was  to  wreak  itself  in  the  future  upon 
this  priest  who  had  named  the  Christ  as  Lord. 


XXVII 
THE  JOURNEY'S  TRIUMPHANT  CLOSE 

PAUL  had  learned  to  love  Father  Parrish  as  a 
brother  and  had  come  to  understand  that  this 
priest  was  a  true  prophet  in  spirit.     They  had 
often  talked  together  of  the  needs  of  the  city  and  dis- 
trict, and  he  had  found  him  more  liberal  in  his  views 
than  he  had  anticipated.    He  had  known  the  Catholic 
workers  only  in  a  general  way,  and  was  glad  to  have 
their  cooperation,  for  it  would  mean  a  great  deal  for 
the  whole  cause. 

Father  Parrish  had  returned  to  his  district  as  soon 
as  he  was  assured  of  Paul's  recovery,  and  one  day  word 
came  that  he  lay  ill  in  a  little  inn  more  than  fifty  miles 
distant.  Swift  horsemen  journeyed  to  the  little  town, 
where  they  found  him  in  the  throes  of  typhus  fever. 
The  old  man  was  still  conscious,  and  when  they  asked 
him  where  he  would  like  to  be  taken,  he  replied :  "  I 
would  like  to  go  to  the  hospital  in  Fou  Cheo.  I  would 
like  to  be  near  Mr.  Redmond,  for  I  am  an  old  man. 
Years  of  privation  have  told  upon  me.  Perhaps  I  can- 
not make  the  fight  that  he  did,  for  a  long  life  was 
before  him,  while  mine  is  nearing  its  close." 

When  he  reached  the  hospital  Paul  went  to  him  at 
once. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  we  will  do  everything  in 
our  power  to  bring  you  back  to  health." 

187 


188     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

A  Catholic  nun  from  a  neighboring  town  was  hur- 
riedly summoned,  and  Dr.  Means  was  again  called. 
When  he  came  Paul  was  surprised  to  find  Catherine 
Williams  with  him.  She  was  quite  reserved  in  her 
greeting. 

"  I  am  glad  to  be  of  service  again,"  she  said. 

"  But  where  have  you  been?  "  asked  Paul. 

"  I  have  been  working  in  a  neighboring  city,"  she 
answered. 

"  I  wanted  to  talk  with  you  before  you  left  the  last 
time." 

"  Perhaps  some  day  we  may  talk,  Mr.  Redmond. 
I  came  when  you  needed  me.  You  are  getting  strong 
now  and  I  am  so  glad,  but  both  of  us  now  have  but 
one  task,  and  that  is,  if  possible,  to  save  the  life  of  this 
dear  old  man." 

Paul  watched  the  struggle  with  deep  anxiety.  Dr 
Means  endeavored  to  banish  Paul  from  the  mission 
house. 

"  But,  doctor,"  Paul  protested,  "  this  old  man  at- 
tended me  day  and  night,  and  while  I  realize  that  I 
must  be  careful,  I  cannot  leave  him." 

The  prayers  of  the  churches,  both  Catholic  and 
Protestant,  again  went  out  for  the  life  of  one  of  God's 
servants,  but  his  work  in  this  world  was  finished. 
Father  Parrish  was  dying.  Dr.  Means,  Paul,  Chu, 
Catherine  Williams  and  the  Catholic  nun  were  with 
him.  The  fever  had  spent  its  fury  and  accomplished 
its  work.  At  the  return  of  consciousness  the  two  nurses 
hurried  to  his  side.  The  old  man  looked  into  their 
faces,  and,  as  he  recognized  the  Catholic  and  Protest- 


JOURNEY'S  TRIUMPHANT  CLOSE      189 

ant  girls,  he  smiled.     He  reached  out  and  put  their 
hands  together. 

"  My  children,  I  pray  that  you  shall  always  love  one 
another,"  he  said,  and  then  the  stupor  returned.  From 
the  gathering  blindness  of  death  he  groped  out  again 
to  reach  them.  When  he  found  their  hands  he  said: 
"  My  prayer  for  you  all  is  that  you  may  be  one,  even 
as  the  Father  and  Son  of  God  are  one.  May  you  hate 
one  another  no  more;  but  as  you  fight  famine,  opium, 
and  the  other  sins  of  this  land,  may  you  be  one." 
Having  thus  breathed  his  prayer,  the  old  priest  passed 
on  to  his  reward. 

The  passing  of  Father  Parrish,  and  the  manner  in 
which  it  happened,  made  a  tremendous  impression  on 
the  whole  community. 

"  Do  you  realize  what  that  prayer  meant  ?  "  Paul 
asked  Dr.  Means.  "  I  believe  it  was  an  expression 
of  the  thought  of  Christ  Himself.  Down  in  Nanking 
they  are  united  in  their  educational  work  and  in  the 
north  they  are  united  in  their  medical  work.  I  repre- 
sent only  one  communion.  Why  should  my  work  be 
of  interest  to  but  one  communion  ?  Why  should  I  not 
represent  the  whole  Church  of  Christ  ?  " 

Means  was  plainly  interested.  "  My  boy,"  he  said, 
"  I  feel  that  you  are  touching  upon  tremendous  prin- 
ciples and  that  God  is  going  to  lead  you,  and  others  like 
you,  to  bring  to  China  that  which  she  sorely  needs."  « 

"  Doctor,"  returned  Paul,  "  I  don't  want  union  just 
for  the  sake  of  the  unity  of  the  church,  but  I  want  it 
for  the  purpose  for  which  Christ  prayed.  What  are 
church  doctrines,  creeds  and  divisions  in  the  face 


190     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

of  the  tasks  that  you  and  I  combat?  Here  are  the 
undertakings  of  your  medical  profession  and  the  prob- 
lems of  social  reform  which  are  opening  before  us, 
and  here  is  my  work.  It  is  no  wonder  that  my  father 
scorns  the  church  and  looks  upon  it  as  an  impotent 
thing.  There  is  one  note  which  I  intend  to  sound  my 
whole  life  through  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  and 
that  is  that  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  must  be  united." 


XXVIII 
POINTING  NEW  TRAILS 

THE  world  seemed  much  lonelier  to  Paul  after 
the  death  of  Father  Parrish,  and  he  realized,  as 
never  before,  what  a  true  friend  this  old  priest 
had  been.  Following  closely  upon  his  death,  Paul  went 
to  Catherine  Williams,  who  he  learned  was  preparing 
to  leave. 

"  I  do  not  want  you  to  go  away  this  time  until  we 
have  talked  together,"  he  said. 

Catherine  stood  silent  for  a  moment  and  then  lifted 
her  face  to  Paul's. 

"  Mr.  Redmond,"  she  said,  "  I  want  so  much  to  talk 
with  you,  but  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  for  the  best. 
I  realize  what  I  have  cost  you,  and  I  appreciate  the 
courageous  way  in  which  you  have  endured  it.  But 
the  fact  still  remains  that,  by  an  impetuous  and  foolish 
action  of  mine,  I  brought  a  great  sorrow  into  your  life, 
and  I  feel  that  whatever  I  may  do  for  you  will  never 
atone  for  the  pain." 

Paul  replied  almost  sharply. 

"  You  must  not  think  of  it  in  that  way,"  he  said. 
"  The  obligation  is  entirely  on  my  part.  Dr.  Means 
has  made  it  very  clear  to  me  that  I  could  not  have 
recovered  had  it  not  been  for  your  care.  As  I  have 
thought  of  your  future,  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  you 

191 


192     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

might  wish  to  stay, — in  the  mission,  I  mean — and  give 
your  life  to  such  service  as  you  are  now  doing." 

"  There  is  nothing  I  should  desire  more,"  she  said, 
"  but  in  China  it  cannot  be.  I  must  go  away  and  if 
I  do  my  work  at  all  it  must  be  under  another  name. 
You  know  that  is  the  penalty  that  society  exacts  of 
those  who  have  sinned  against  it." 

Again  Paul  began  to  remonstrate,  but  she  stopped 
him. 

"  Mr.  Redmond,  you  have  said  that  you  have  some- 
thing to  say  to  me,  and  I  want  to  hear  it.  Will  you 
please  say  it?" 

"  It  is  just  this,"  said  Paul.  "  You  feel  that  you 
have  done  me  a  great  wrong,  but  I  feel  you  have  also 
done  me  a  great  service.  Had  I  married  Madeline, 
with  her  standards  and  ideals,  there  is  no  telling  what 
might  have  happened,  for  it  might  have  been  neces- 
sary, after  all,  for  me  to  have  given  up  this  work. 
I  believe  that  there  is  a  Providence,  the  workings  of 
which  none  of  us  can  understand,  and  even  though 
what  you  did  wounded  me  sorely,  yet  it  probably  saved 
me.  I  know  you  would  not  do  such  a  thing  now,  and 
I  trust  you  more  than  you  know.  Moreover,  I  be- 
lieve that  you  will  serve  society  in  such  a  way  that 
will  compel  it  to  take  you  back,  and  give  you  the  place 
that  you  deserve." 

Catherine  listened  with  a  curious  look  in  her  eyes, 
and  a  sort  of  baffling  smile  playing  around  her  lips 
for  a  moment. 

"  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Redmond,"  she  replied,  "  for 
believing  that  I  am  honest.  You  say  that  I  have  had 


POINTING  NEW  TRAILS  193 

my  lesson,  and  I  have.  I  feel  if  Miss  Leonard  knew 
me  she  would  not  blame  me." 

Paul  assured  her  that  he  believed  so,  too. 

"  But  the  chief  questions  now,  Miss  Williams,  are — 
what  are  your  plans,  and  what  do  you  intend  to  do?  " 
Paul  added. 

"  I  want  first  of  all,"  the  girl  returned,  "  to  forget 
the  past — if  I  can.  I  wonder  if  I  can  ever  again  win 
the  world's  respect.  You  don't  know  how  much  it 
means  to  one  who  has  strayed  to  regain  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  the  men  and  women  who  now  pass  her 
either  with  a  stare  or  averted  eyes.  You  know  you 
first  gained  influence  over  me  by  your  simple  cordiality, 
and  I  desire  above  all  else  to  win  from  others  the  same 
attitude." 

"  There  will  be  some  who  will  not  see  life  aright," 
Paul  said, — "  who  will  believe  that  you  have  forfeited 
your  rights  to  be  recognized.  But  true  men  and  women 
will  estimate  you  at  your  real  worth.  You  need  not 
fear  but  that  you  will  win  those  whose  respect  you 
really  desire,  and  whose  good  will  is  of  value." 

"  Yes,  that  is  true,  perhaps,  but  here  is  something 
I  want  to  ask  you,"  she  replied,  "  and  I  hope  you  will 
not  misunderstand  me.  Do  you  think  that  any  good 
man  will  ever  love  me — that  any  man  who  is  doing  big 
things  would  ever  want  me  to  bear  his  name?  " 

Paul  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  in  answering. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  he  said.  "  I  know  you  are 
lovable.  I  think  you  ought  to  forget  the  past  and 
profit  by  your  experience,  and  let  the  day  you  speak 
of  come  as  it  may." 


194.  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

They  talked  of  many  other  things,  but  were  inter- 
rupted by  a  telegram  informing  Paul  that  the  Stewarts 
would  soon  be  with  him.  He  insisted  that  Catherine 
should  wait  for  their  arrival. 

"  I  want  you  to  meet  Frances,"  he  said,  "  for  she 
did  not  doubt  me,  nor  do  I  believe  she  censured  you. 
She  is  a  wonderful  girl." 

"  But  I  have  avoided  women  entirely,"  said  Cath- 
erine, "  for  somehow  I  feel  that  men  forgive  and 
understand  more  readily  than  women." 

She  was  finally  persuaded  to  stay  a  few  days  longer 
and  undertake  work  in  the  hospital  that  the  Chinese 
doctor  had  requested  her  to  do. 

The  coming  of  the  Stewarts  was  a  joyous  event, 
and  the  greeting  between  Paul  and  Frances  was  free 
from  any  trace  of  sentiment,  other  than  that  of  close 
friends. 

"  Frances,  it  is  real  good  of  you  to  come,"  said 
Paul,  "  and  I  feel  sure  you  were  the  one  who  pro- 
posed coming." 

Almost  at  once  Frances  asked  for  Catherine. 

"  Where  is  Miss  Williams,"  she  asked,  "  who  nursed 
you  back  to  health?  I  inquired  about  her  on  my 
way  up,  but  did  not  succeed  in  locating  her.  Then 
I  heard  that  she  was  here  again  nursing  Father  Par- 
rish.  I  want  to  take  her  in  my  arms  and  tell  her  how 
much  I  love  her  for  what  she  has  done  for  you  and  for 
the  dear  old  priest." 

"  I  am  glad  you  feel  that  way,  Frances,"  said  Paul, 
"  for  she  is  still  here.  Indeed,  I  have  kept  her  here 
so  that  you  might  meet  her.  She  did  not  want  to  stay 


POINTING  NEW  TRAILS  195 

because  she  does  not  care  to  meet  women.  She  feels, 
somehow,  that  they  do  not  understand  her." 

Frances  laughed. 

"  Perhaps  she  has  had  good  cause,  who  knows  ? — 
but  let  me  see  her." 

Catherine  came  in  with  the  usual  hesitancy  and  diffi- 
dence that  had  marked  her  relations  with  women  since 
she  had  forsaken  her  former  life.  It  lasted  only  a 
moment,  however,  for  Frances  went  to  her  with  open 
arms. 

"  You  must  not  hold  back  from  me  like  that,"  she 
said,  "  for  you  have  saved  this  friend  of  ours,  and  any 
one  who  has  done  that,  is  a  friend  of  mine." 

As  Catherine  felt  the  arms  of  a  good  woman  about 
her,  and  kisses  of  sincerity  upon  her  lips,  her  reserve 
vanished,  and  she  wept  as  only  a  woman  can  weep 
who  has  long  held  back  her  emotions. 

Paul  left  them  quietly,  and  found  Mr.  Stewart 
searching  for  his  daughter. 

"  Leave  her  alone  now,"  he  said,  "  Frances  is  doing 
a  piece  of  much-needed  work." 


XXIX 

MONEY'S    REAL   RETURN 

WHEN  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  and  Paul  went 
to  the  girls,  there  was  a  calmness  on  the 
face  of  Catherine  Williams  that  Paul  had 
never  seen  before.    She  smiled  at  him  and  the  others, 
and  that  smile  convinced  him  that  she  was  prepared 
for  the  struggle,  and  that  no  matter  what  life  might 
hold  for  her,  she  was  ready  to  face  it.    She  tarried  a 
day  or  two  with  them  until  the  work  she  had  stayed 
to  do  had  been  accomplished.     When  she  was  ready 
to  go  she  went  to  Frances  and  Paul  to  bid  them  good- 

by. 

"  Paul,"  said  Frances,  "  Catherine  must  not  stay  in 
China.  She  must  go  to  America.  There  is  one  man 
who  can  give  her  the  proper  assistance, — our  good 
friend,  Dr.  Blackburn.  You  know  the  enormous  prac- 
tice he  has  and  his  need  of  efficient  nurses,  and  while 
Catherine  hasn't  had  just  the  training  that  is  required, 
she  can  get  it,  and  she  has  had  valuable  experience." 

Paul  fell  heartily  into  the  plan  and  the  next  day 
Catherine  left  Fou  Cheo  with  letters  to  Dr.  Black- 
burn. She  left  the  Chinese  city  with  a  feeling  of  real 
sadness  in  her  heart,  and  wondered  if  she  would  ever 
see  it  again. 

The  Stewarts  took  complete  charge  of  Paul  and 

196 


MONEY'S  REAL  RETURN      197 

made  him  rest  as  no  one  else  had  succeeded  in  doing, 
and  his  gain  in  strength  was  marvelously  rapid. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  pleased  with  the  buildings  which 
his  money  had  made  possible. 

"  This  expenditure  yields  three  to  seven  times  as 
much  in  China  as  it  would  in  America,"  he  remarked. 

He  was  pleased,  too,  with  the  work  that  Paul  had 
been  able  to  accomplish  in  the  whole  district,  for  he 
had  regarded  all  these  things  as  practically  impossible. 

"  Paul,"  he  said,  "  what  you  have  achieved  on  my 
investment  is  such  that  we  now  face  the  question  of 
what  we  can  do  next.  I  will  confess  to  you  that  my 
whole  idea  of  missions  has  been  revolutionized.  I 
never  realized  their  possibilities  before.  I  am  im- 
pressed with  the  inadequacy  of  their  equipment,  and 
am  determined  that  in  this  district,  at  least,  we  will 
remedy  such  a  state  of  affairs." 

Paul  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  asked :  "  Is  it  a 
question  of  what  we  might  do  in  this  single  section, 
or  is  it  not  rather  the  bigger  question  of  what  concerns 
your  own  life  and  your  own  work  ?  You  know  I  honor 
my  father,  but  Christianity  is  incidental  to  him  so  far 
as  his  money  is  concerned.  He  has  accepted  its  doc- 
trine, but  he  knows  practically  nothing  of  its  practice. 
I  know  you  are  one  of  my  most  sincere  friends,  and 
because  you  are,  I  can  say  this  to  you.  I  recognize 
the  fact  that  this  work  has  been  accomplished  because 
of  your  help,  but,  Mr.  Stewart,  would  you  be  willing  to 
give  up  every  dollar  that  you  have,  in  order  to  come 
into  a  right  relationship  to  your  money?  " 

For  hours  they  talked,  the  one  who  had  accumulated 


198     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

wealth,  the  other  who  was  giving  himself  to  the  serv- 
ke  of  mankind.  Paul  emphasized  the  view  that  under 
the  old  Jewish  law  the  tithe  was  God's  portion,  but 
that  under  the  Christian  dispensation  there  was  greater 
freedom,  which  resulted  in  men  giving  less,  instead  of 
more,  as  Christ  had  meant  they  should.  He  pointed 
out  to  Mr.  Stewart  that  it  was  a  matter  of  the  invest- 
ment of  the  truest  part  of  a  man's  self,  and  that  the 
returns  were  other  than  financial.  He  pictured  the 
sordid  influence  of  money  from  the  viewpoint  of  one 
who  thoroughly  understood,  and  made  it  clear  to  Mr. 
Stewart  that  he  did  not  want  any  of  his  for  his  own 
use. 

"  Mr.  Stewart,"  he  concluded,  in  the  words  of  that 
greatest  of  missionaries,  "  We  truly  seek  not  yours, 
but  you." 

Frances  Stewart  was  keeping  her  relation  with  Paul 
more  on  the  basis  of  friendship  and  comradeship  than 
she  had  done  during  her  first  visit,  but  sometimes  a 
long  silence  arose  between  them,  and  she  was  eager 
to  get  away. 

One  day  while  she  and  Paul  were  walking  along  the 
dikes  that  had  been  constructed  under  the  latter's  super- 
vision, they  came  to  the  tablet  that  had  been  erected 
in  his  honor. 

"  Frances,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  say  to  you  that  this 
little  tablet  means  more  to  me  than  a  monument  in 
Central  Park,  or  any  other  honor  that  could  possibly 
be  accorded  to  me.  I  have  often  wondered  why  you, 
who  seem  to  have  so  great  an  interest  in  this  land — 
you,  who  are  still  young  enough  to  learn  the  ways 


MONEY'S  REAL  RETURN      199 

and  the  language  of  these  people — do  not  give  yourself 
to  its  great  needs." 

Frances  could  not  fathom  the  meaning  of  Paul's 
words.  Was  he  speaking  impersonally,  or  was  he 
leading  to  a  deeper  question  ? 

"  I  have  enjoyed  my  trips  out  here,"  she  said,  "  and  I 
know  how  you  people  in  the  East  despise  a  globe  trotter, 
but  that  is  just  what  I  am.  While  I  am  much  inter- 
ested in  your  particular  work,  it  is  only  because  it  is 
your  work.  I  want  to  help  out,  but  it  must  be  from 
the  other  side  of  the  ocean." 

Paul  could  not  guess  the  sacrifice  she  was  making. 
If  there  was  anything  she  really  longed  to  do  it  was  to 
give  herself  to  the  land  to  which  he  was  so  devoted. 
As  for  him,  this  answer  settled  any  question  he  might 
have  entertained. 

The  Stewarts  arranged  to  leave  for  America  as  soon 
as  Paul  was  well.  But  they  were  anxious  about  him, 
and  besought  him  to  leave  with  them. 

"  This  is  my  work,"  he  answered  with  a  smile.  "  I 
must  stay  here  until  the  end.  I  am  coming  home  in  a 
year  or  two,  but  to  leave  China  in  an  hour  like  this, 
when  such  tremendous  changes  are  coming — I  cannot 
think  of  it." 


XXX 

CONQUERING  THE  DRAGON 

THE  work  that  Paul  Redmond  had  been  able  to 
do  was  indicative  of  the  general  spirit  of  change 
and  unrest  prevalent  in  China.  Great  move- 
ments often  take  form  suddenly,  and  the  months  and 
years  of  preparation  back  of  them  are  lost  to  sight. 
When  the  revolution  broke  over  China  it  was  the  gen- 
eral opinion  that  it  would  soon  lose  favor;  that  it 
was  only  a  local  affair  which  would  end  with  the 
decapitation  of  a  few  leaders.  But  the  preparation 
had  been  more  thorough  than  was  generally  known. 
The  secret  societies  of  China  had  been  getting  ready 
for  this  hour.  In  America  and  in  England  groups  of 
foreign-trained  Chinese  had  planned  for  years  for  the 
overthrow  of  the  Manchu  dynasty,  and  each  month 
a  contribution  to  the  cause  was  sent  to  the  leaders  in 
China  from  every  city  in  which  Chinese  resided.  The 
leaders  who  had  carefully  studied  the  situation,  were 
now  directing  the  campaign.  They  had  studied  it  from 
a  military  standpoint,  reviewing  the  resources  of  China 
in  all  lines.  They  had  appealed  to  the  very  highest 
motives.  The  revolution  was  not  instigated  by  those 
who  craved  power.  The  Manchu  dynasty  represented 
an  element  in  China's  life  that  must  pass.  Leaders 
showed  their  followers  that  the  greed  and  graft  of  the 

old  administration  must  be  stamped  out,  and  pointed 

200 


CONQUERING  THE  DRAGON  201 

out  that  China  had  failed  in  every  reform,  and  that 
the  inadequacy  of  her  preparation  for  war  with  Japan 
— sticks  of  wood  made  in  forms  of  guns  for  Port 
Arthur,  and  grafting  enterprises  of  similar  nature — 
was  the  cause  of  her  defeat.  The  Manchu  dynasty 
was  essentially  a  foreign  power,  and  this  fact  had 
rankled  in  the  hearts  of  the  Chinese  throughout  a  long 
period  of  years.  A  great  cry  which  thrilled  the  hearts 
of  the  younger  generation,  went  out — "  China  for  the 
Chinese." 

When  the  first  news  of  the  rebellion  reached  Fou 
Cheo,  Paul  Redmond  only  regarded  it  as  another  of 
the  many  attempts  that  had  already  been  made.  He 
recalled  the  Chinese  saying  that  there  was  always  a 
rebellion  in  some  part  of  China,  and  paid  little  atten- 
tion to  its  progress,  until  one  night  Chu  came  to  him 
and  said :  "  My  friend,  the  hour  about  which  we 
talked  has  arrived.  The  revolution  has  broken  over 
China." 

"  Oh,  it  is  only  a  passing  thing,"  answered  Paul. 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  replied  Chu.  "  At  previous 
times  we  struck  prematurely,  but  this  time  we  are  pre- 
pared. You  do  not  know  of  the  vast  sums  of  money 
back  of  us.  You  are  wondering  how  some  of  us  who 
are  living  on  such  small  pittances  manage  to  contribute 
to  this  cause.  You  know  that  many  of  our  people 
have  gone  to  America,  to  England  and  to  other  coun- 
tries. Do  you  know  that  there  is  not  a  laundryman, 
nor  a  restaurant  keeper,  nor  a  merchant  beyond  the 
seas  who  does  not  send  every  month  his  donation  to 
the  fund  which  is  to  finance  this  rebellion?  This  has 


202     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

been  so  for  a  long  time.  The  leaders  have  tremendous 
resources  to  draw  upon  that  will  enable  us  to  strike 
in  a  real  way  this  time.  We  appreciate  that  because 
we  have  failed  so  many  times  the  people  have  lost 
faith  in  us,  but  you  know  the  proverb  reads :  '  A 
thousand  failures  mean  one  great  success.'  So  you 
can  count  upon  it  that  this  time  we  shall  not  fail. 
The  present  dynasty  will  be  driven  from  Peking,  and 
in  the  southern  capital  there  will  reign  a  man  who 
loves  his  country,  and  who  will  minister  according  to 
justice." 

"  But  will  it  not  take  a  long  time  to  accomplish 
this  ?  "  questioned  Paul. 

"  No,  it  will  not." 

Paul  did  not  take  Chu  seriously  and  was  inclined  to 
smile  at  his  enthusiasm.  But  he  loved  his  friend  the 
better  for  his  firm  belief  in  his  cause. 

From  the  hour  of  the  breaking  of  the  rebellion, 
Paul  noticed  that  Chu  gave  more  and  more  of  his  atten- 
tion to  it.  When  Chu  became  a  Christian  he  told  Paul 
that  he  was  not  working  actively  with  the  little  secret 
group  of  rebellion  leaders,  because  he  wanted  to  help 
in  the  church  work,  but  now  he  came  to  him  saying 
that  he  must  answer  the  call  of  his  country. 

"Does  not  the  Bible  teach  loyalty  to  one's  coun- 
try? "  he  asked. 

Paul  was  greatly  troubled.  He  believed  in  the  cause 
of  the  revolution  as  Chu  preached  it,  and  he  believed 
that  Chu  was  sincere  in  what  he  said  regarding  it.  But 
he  also  knew  that  if  it  should  fail  he  would  lose  this 
friend  whom  he  had  come  to  love  almost  more  than 


CONQUERING  THE  DRAGON  208 

any  other  man.  Paul  needed  friends  now,  for  the 
new  magistrate  was  less  friendly  than  the  old  one 
had  been.  The  missionary  had  consistently  tried  to  win 
him,  but  he  was  antagonistic  in  many  ways,  and  op- 
posed the  work  of  the  church.  He  was  not  openly 
against  it,  for  he  knew  it  was  already  too  firmly  estab- 
lished in  the  district,  but  Paul  felt  his  opposition  from 
many  sources. 

The  increasing  success  of  the  revolution  was  re- 
ported from  a  number  of  districts,  and  several  of  the 
elders  of  the  city  came  to  Paul  saying  that  rumor  was 
rife  that  Chu  was  a  revolutionist.  Paul  was  in  a 
difficult  position.  He  could  not  betray  the  confidence 
of  his  friend;  but  he  knew  that  great  caution  was 
necessary,  for  the  government  would  deal  harshly  and 
summarily  with  his  friend  if  his  connection  with  the 
rebellion  could  be  proved. 

He  listened  to  them  with  the  greatest  respect,  as  he 
always  did  when  they  brought  anything  of  importance 
to  him. 

"  Friends,"  he  said,  "  I  cannot  tell  who  is,  and  who 
is  not,  a  revolutionist,  and  I  cannot  repeat  any  confi- 
dences that  may  have  been  given  me.  But  I  am 
grievously  troubled  about  another  matter,  and  you 
can  help  me.  Suppose  this  revolution  reaches  Fou 
Cheo — what  are  we  going  to  do?  Are  we  going  to 
allow  our  women  to  be  ravished  and  the  city  pillaged 
and  burned,  or  are  we  going  to  save  them  and  it?  I 
haven't  anything  else  in  mind  to  talk  with  you  about, 
today,  except  a  plan  to  save  the  city.  This  is  not  your 
city  alone, — it  is  also  mine,  and  every  thought  and 


204      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

every  plan  must  be  for  its  welfare.  I  am  sure  you 
are  not  here  this  morning  to  incriminate  any  individual. 
We  have  all  worked  to  save  our  city  in  the  past,  and 
I  feel  sure  that  this  is  the  supreme  thing  in  all  our 
minds  today." 

Paul's  loyalty,  backed  by  the  tremendous  work  he 
had  done,  appealed  to  them,  and  they  went  directly 
from  him  to  the  magistrate,  telling  him  that  Paul  had 
urged  upon  them  the  necessity  of  a  plan  to  save  the 
city  if  the  rebellion  should  reach  it. 

"  Go  back  and  tell  him,"  said  the  magistrate,  "  that 
we  do  not  need  the  help  of  a  foreign  devil  to  save  our 
city.  We  can  protect  it  ourselves.  All  we  need  to  know 
now  is  who  are,  and  who  are  not,'  revolutionists. 
Then  we  will  act." 

The  magistrate  was  a  Manchu  and  this  expression 
only  turned  the  leaders  of  the  city  against  him,  for 
though  many  of  the  people  were  not  revolutionists  in 
name,  the  cry  of  "  China  for  the  Chinese,"  had  laid 
hold  of  their  hearts  and  imaginations.  Instead  of  the 
magistrate's  words  inciting  them  against  Paul  and 
Chu,  the  effect  was  otherwise. 

"  Friend,"  Paul  said  to  Chu.  "  I  must  know  what 
is  going  on.  What  are  your  plans?  What  are  you 
really  trying  to  do?  " 

"  Our  only  plan,"  said  Chu,  "  is  to  possess  China. 
Every  city  we  take  is  to  our  advantage.  In  many 
cities  the  magistrates  are  coming  over  to  us  voluntarily, 
and  in  some  provinces  governors,  lieutenant-governors 
and  treasurers  are  uniting  with  our  cause.  But  here 
we  have  a  serious  problem." 


CONQUERING  THE  DRAGON  205 

Paul  told  him  that  many  believed  him  to  be  a  revolu- 
tionist. 

"  Yes,  I  know,  and  somehow  I  feel  that  my  end  is 
not  far  off.  Yet  if  death  shall  overtake  me,  I  want 
it  to  find  me  loyal  to  Christ  and  to  my  country,  for 
I  love  both  so  well." 

Paul  requested  him  to  hold  his  interviews  with  the 
revolutionists  outside  of  the  mission  house. 

"  We  must  be  loyal  to  the  powers  that  be,"  he  said, 
"  for  we  must  be  able  to  say  that  there  have  been  no 
revolutionary  meetings  here." 

Chu  promised  that  he  would  do  this,  and  he  re- 
mained true  to  his  promise.  Though  he  knew  he  was 
being  watched,  he  continued  to  labor  for  the  cause  to 
which  he  had  pledged  himself. 

The  garrison  of  soldiers  at  Fou  Cheo  was  reinforced, 
and  every  preparation  was  made  to  resist  an  attack 
upon  the  city.  A  great  host  of  Manchu  soldiers  poured 
into  the  place,  presumably  for  its  defense.  But  Paul 
soon  had  a  new  problem  to  face,  for  from  every  quar- 
ter came  complaints  that  the  people  were  being  robbed. 
Now  and  again  he  learned  that  women  were  being 
ravished.  He  was  indignant  when  many  of  these  re- 
ports reached  him,  and  deciding  to  see  the  Manchu 
general  himself,  mounted  his  pony  and  rode  toward 
the  camp. 

As  he  rode  through  the  narrow  streets,  the  people 
called  out,  telling  him  of  their  grievances.  He  had 
not  quite  realized  before  how  much  he  loved  this  city 
with  its  narrow  streets  and  quaint  houses  and  stores. 
Here  was  the  shop  of  a  silver  merchant,  who  was 


206     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

hammering  away  on  a  delicate  little  ornament.  Close 
by  was  the  store  of  the  crockery  merchant,  with  his 
wares  piled  from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling.  Men  and 
women  of  the  better  class  were  going  and  coming  from 
the  little  shut-in  shops  of  the  silk  merchants.  Paul's 
heart  went  out  to  this  city  of  his  adoption. 

Leaving  the  business  section,  he  rode  through 
broad  streets,  past  one-storied,  tile-rdofed  homes,  and 
then  on  to  the  poorer  section,  with  its  houses  of 
mud  walls  and  thatched  roofs.  At  last  he  reached  the 
camp  of  the  soldiers,  who  had  converted  the  old  mud 
houses  around  the  parade  ground  into  a  barracks,  from 
which  flaunted  the  red  banners  and  the  yellow  dragon 
flags  of  the  Manchu  dynasty.  Some  of  the  soldiers 
sneered  at  him.  At  the  door  of  the  general's  quarters 
he  dismounted  his  pony,  giving  it  to  a  boy  to  lead. 
The  attendant  did  not  even  rise  when  he  accosted  him 
and  was  insulting  in  his  manner. 

"  What  country  do  you  represent  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  am  an  American,"  Paul  answered,  "  but  I  come 
representing  the  cause  that  has  ministered  to  these 
people,  and  I  demand  an  audience." 

When  the  runners  saw  his  tremendous  earnestness, 
they  finally  made  way,  and  he  went  confidently  into  the 
presence  of  the  general. 

"  I  have  come,  sir,"  he  said,  "  on  a  most  delicate 
mission,  and  one  of  the  greatest  importance.  I  am  not 
here  in  my  own  interest,  nor  in  the  interest  of  the  prop- 
erty that  I  have  in  my  care.  I  am  here  in  the  interest 
of  the  women  of  this  city,  and  of  the  property  holders, 
who  say  that  your  soldiers  are  committing  deeds  of 


CONQUERING  THE  DRAGON  207 

violence  and  outrage  that  cannot,  and  must  not,  be 
permitted." 

The  Manchu  general  was  supercilious  and  demanded 
to  know  by  whose  authority  Paul  made  this  statement. 

"  Sir,"  Paul  answered,  "  when  the  city  was  about 
to  be  destroyed  by  a  great  flood,  and  when  that  group 
of  farms  now  covered  with  grain  formed  the  bed  of 
a  lake  which  endangered  the  city  in  time  of  flood,  I 
had  the  honor  to  help  those  who  directed  the  rescue 
work  and  the  building  of  those  dikes  which  will  make 
a  repetition  of  that  catastrophe  impossible.  That  was 
done  for  the  sake  of  China,  and  for  the  sake  of  this 
land  that  you  are  here  to  protect,  and  because  of  what 
has  been  done  I  demand,  sir,  that  you  shall  protect 
the  city." 

"  You  come  here  with  the  rumors  of  old  women," 
said  the  general.  "  You  do  not  come  with  proof." 

Paul  named  several  instances,  but  the  only  answer 
he  received  was  that  the  matter  would  be  investigated 
— that  his  word  for  it  could  not  be  accepted  unsup- 
ported. 

The  interview  was  unsatisfactory,  and  Paul  went 
out  from  the  presence  of  the  general  only  to  find  his 
horse  gone.  The  boy  with  whom  he  had  left  it  was 
weeping,  and  said  that  a  soldier  had  mounted  it  and  rid- 
den away,  because  he  wanted  the  foreign  saddle.  Dur- 
ing the  interview  the  Manchu  general  had  declared,  in 
the  extravagance  of  Oriental  speech :  "If  you  can 
prove  that  my  soldiers  have  been  doing  any  of  these 
things,  you  can  kill  me." 

On  finding  his  horse  gone,  Paul  immediately  re- 


208     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

turned  to  the  general.  The  men  at  the  entrance  to  his 
quarters  tried  to  stop  him,  but  made  way  as  they  saw 
the  fire  that  flashed  in  his  eyes.  Before,  he  had  been 
calm  and  tactful,  now,  he  was  intensely  angry. 

"  You  dare  to  say,  sir,  that  your  soldiers  have  not 
been  robbing  the  people  when  my  horse  has  been  stolen 
at  your  own  door?  I  care  nothing  for  the  horse,"  he 
said,  "  but  I  now  demand  that  you  protect  the  city." 

The  general  listened  in  silence,  but  in  his  heart  there 
was  hatred  for  the  foreigner. 

"  I  will  see  that  your  horse  is  returned,  because  you 
are  a  foreigner  and  it  might  complicate  us  with  your 
government.  But  who  are  you  that  you  come  here 
and  talk  of  loyalty  to  my  people?  I  know  the  city 
wants  to  be  rid  of  you  and  my  advice  to  you  is — keep 
from  the  streets,  for  we  command  the  city." 

That  night  it  was  rumored  that  the  revolutionists 
were  approaching.  Soldiers  appeared  on  the  streets, 
and  it  was  reported  that  the  gates  had  been  broken 
down  and  that  the  city  had  been  entered.  Paul  tried 
to  quiet  the  people.  He  was  threatened  by  the  sol- 
diers, who  were  rioting  and  breaking  into  the  stores, 
and  commanded  to  leave  the  streets. 

He  found  Chu  absent  from  the  mission  house,  and 
after  some  difficulty,  located  him  in  the  house  of  a 
friend. 

"  Chu,"  he  said,  "  tell  me — are  these  men  who  are 
sacking  the  city  revolutionists?" 

Chu  faced  him  with  angry  eyes. 

"  For  the  first  time  you  have  insulted  me." 

"  Chu,  you  know  I  did  not  mean  to  insult  you,  but 


CONQUERING  THE  DRAGON  209 

I  have  been  told  that  these  men  are  revolutionists,  and 
I  must  know  the  truth." 

"  There  is  not  a  single  revolutionary  soldier  in  the 
city,"  answered  Chu,  "  and  we  have  sent  out  no  word. 
The  hour  to  strike  has  not  come.  The  Manchu  sol- 
diers are  anxious  to  gain  as  much  from  this  revolution 
as  possible,  and  that  is  why  they  are  spoiling  the  city. 
They  care  nothing  for  their  country.  But  their  very 
madness  will  turn  the  people  against  them,  for  they 
are  being  recognized,  and  tomorrow,  or  very  soon,  this 
city  and  this  land  will  be  ours,  my  friend — ours — 
and  the  hindrances  that  have  impeded  our  work  re- 
moved." 

The  man  seemed  as  one  inspired. 

"  Mr.  Redmond,"  he  continued,  "  or  may  I  not  call 
you  Paul? — you  have  prayed  for  opportunities,  you 
have  sought  them.  The  day  has  arrived  when  doors 
will  be  opened  to  the  church  which  you  never  dreamed 
would  open.  But  we  cannot  talk  of  these  things  now. 
You  must  go.  You  must  not  be  found  here  with  us. 
Tomorrow  you  will  see  the  five-colored  banner  of  the 
new  government  in  the  streets,  and  you  will  see  it 
floating  over  the  magistrate's  yamen,  and  over  the 
Manchu  general's  camp.  Then,  my  friend,  we  can 
talk." 


XXXI 
"GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN" 

EARLY  the  next  morning  the  magistrate  and  the 
Manchu  general  struck  what  they  believed 
would  be  the  hardest  blow  that  could  be  given, 
not  only  to  the  work  of  Paul,  but  to  the  whole  cause 
of  the  revolution.  Paul  was  wondering  what  the  next 
move  on  their  part  would  be,  when  a  friend  brought 
word  that  Chu  had  been  taken  prisoner  as  a  revolu- 
tionist. It  was  staggering  news.  Paul  had  feared  this 
for  some  time,  and  had  wondered  what  he  should  do 
if  it  should  come  to  pass.  Chu  was  still  at  the  house 
of  a  friend,  and  throwing  all  caution  to  the  winds,  Paul 
hastened  to  him,  for  the  hour  had  come  to  act  quickly 
if  his  friend  was  to  be  saved  from  the  awful  fate 
which  otherwise  awaited  him.  He  found  Chu  calm 
and  deliberate.  When  he  saw  Paul  he  looked  long  into 
his  friend's  face. 

"  We  cannot  talk  here,"  he  said,  "  let  us  see  what 
they  are  going  to  do;  then  I  will  have  many  things  to 
say  to  you." 

An  official  of  small  rank  came  in  with  a  great  deal 
of  pomp,  but  upon  seeing  Paul,  hesitated  for  a  mo- 
ment. 

"  I  have  instructions  to  execute  this  man  at  once," 
he  said. 

Paul  stood  aghast. 

210 


"  GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN  " 

"  But  there  has  been  no  trial,"  he  said.  "  There  is 
no  evidence." 

"  That  does  not  matter.  The  order  has  been  given 
and  must  be  carried  out  without  delay." 

Paul  went  quickly  to  his  friend  and  stood  before 
him  as  if  to  shield  him. 

"  You  shall  not  execute  this  man  until  I  hear  with 
my  own  ears  the  order  of  the  general  and  of  the  mag- 
istrate," he  said. 

"  The  magistrate  has  nothing  to  do  with  this,"  the 
official  returned  angrily,  "  and  there  is  no  need  to  dis- 
cuss it  further.  The  order  must  be  carried  out." 

But  he  was  not  prepared  for  Paul's  tremendous  will. 

"  I  hope  you  will  listen  to  me  peaceably,"  Paul  con- 
tinued. "  I  have  many  friends  here,  and  if  there  is 
no  other  way  I  will  take  this  man  from  you  by  force, 
and  take  him  before  the  general." 

The  soldier  recognized  that  this  threat  was  not  an 
idle  one,  for  there  were  many  onlookers  friendly  to 
Paul  in  the  crowd  that  had  gathered.  The  young  official 
was  now  extremely  deferential  as  they  started  for  the 
quarters  of  the  general.  Paul  walked  beside  Chu.  News 
of  his  capture  and  sentence  ran  like  wildfire  down  the 
streets,  for  the  people  even  in  this  hour  of  severe  trial 
had  not  forgotten  that  Chu  had  worked  side  by  side 
with  Paul  during  the  long  days  of  the  famine. 

A  great  crowd  followed  them.  All  traffic  was 
pushed  aside  and  people  poured  from  the  houses  and 
came  running  from  every  alley  and  street  that  they 
passed.  This  crowd  was  not  composed  of  the  rabble 
of  the  city,  such  as  usually  follows  a  prisoner,  but 


THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

of  bankers,  merchants,  and  teachers.  Men,  young  and 
old,  were  crushed  together  in  the  narrow  streets.  In- 
tense excitement  filled  the  throng,  and  they  cried  out 
against  the  Manchu  general. 

When  they  reached  his  quarters  Paul  demanded  of 
the  guard:  "  Is  the  general  inside?  " 

The  man  nodded. 

Without  hesitancy  Paul  conducted  Chu  past  the 
protesting  doorman  and  into  the  presence  of  the  gen- 
eral. The  officer  was  surprised  to  see  this  prisoner 
before  him,  for  the  order  he  had  given  was  that  Chu 
should  be  executed  quietly.  If  he  had  to  face  this 
foreigner,  and  what  seemed  to  be  half  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  city,  he  knew  that  he  would  be  implicated 
more  than  he  desired.  He  had  planned  to  disavow  any 
knowledge  of  the  execution  if  any  trouble  resulted 
from  it,  and  to  put  to  death  the  deputy  who  had  car- 
ried out  his  order.  But  now  a  new  complication  had 
arisen,  one  that  involved  him  directly. 

"  Have  you  ordered  the  execution  of  this  man  ?  " 
Paul  asked. 

The  general  knew  the  situation  was  such  that  he 
could  not  deny  the  charge. 

"  I  have,"  he  cried,  "  and  what  is  more,  I  am  going 
to  execute  him  here  before  you  to  show  these  people 
that  I  am  not  afraid  of  you  or  your  so-called  au- 
thority. I  will  let  you  know  how  little  I  really  think 
of  you." 

"  I  have  not  come  to  interfere  with  your  authority," 
returned  Paul,  "  I  am  here  only  to  ask  for  justice  and 
a  fair  trial." 


"  GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN  "    213 

"  No  trial  is  necessary.  This  is  military  govern- 
ment. I  know  he  is  a  revolutionist,  and  you  know  it. 
You  dare  not  stand  before  me  and  declare  that  he  is 
not  a  revolutionist. — Ah,  ha,  I  have  your  own  testi- 
mony." 

"  I  am  giving  no  testimony.  I  know  that  my  testi- 
mony is  not  accepted  in  a  Chinese  court.  Is  this  not 
true?" 

"  That  may  be,  but  we  have  other  testimony,  and 
though  you  would  deny  that  he  is  a  revolutionist,  I  am 
going  to  execute  him." 

"  Let  him  be  executed."  "  Behead  him," — came 
from  the  attending  soldiers. 

"  No,  no,"  cried  the  crowd. 

"  Sir,  you  shall  not  behead  him,"  Paul  declared  as 
soon  as  he  could  be  heard.  "  If  he  dies  at  all,  he  must 
die  as  a  soldier,  but  I  beg  of  you,  sir,  not  to  put  him 
to  death." 

He  turned  to  the  mob  that  had  crowded  into  the 
quarters  and  was  standing  in  the  court  in  front  of 
them. 

"  Friends,"  he  implored,  "  this  man  whom  the  gen- 
eral is  about  to  execute — is  he  a  friend  or  a  foe  of  the 
Chinese  people  ?  " 

A  great  cry  went  up.    "  A  friend  " — "  A  friend." 

Then  a  man,  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  city, 
whose  loyalty  to  the  government  was  unquestioned, 
stood  out  from  the  crowd. 

"  If  he  is  a  revolutionist  we  have  not  known  it," 
he  declared,  "  he  has  not  preached  revolutionary  doc- 
trines. All  of  his  work  has  been  for  the  people.  He 


THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

has  served  us  constantly  and  helped  us  when  others 
failed." 

Prostrating  themselves  before  the  Manchu  general, 
men  in  rich  attire  pleaded  for  the  life  of  Chu.  The 
general  was  amazed.  To  antagonize  these  people  was 
to  antagonize  the  city,  but  power  was  sweet  to  him, 
and  he  was  pleased  to  have  men  of  this  type  on  their 
knees  before  him.  To  yield  now  would  be  a  sign  of 
weakness. 

"  I  will  concede  but  one  point,"  he  said.  "  He  must 
die,  but  if  you  want  him  to  be  shot  instead  of  be- 
headed, I  will  grant  it.  Take  him  away,  I  have  work 
to  do.  I  do  not  want  to  be  further  troubled.  Take  him 
out  of  my  sight." 

Paul  yearned  to  lay  violent  hands  upon  him.  He 
could  not  bear  the  thought  of  his  friend  meeting  this 
fate,  but  Chu's  hand  was  on  his  shoulder. 

"  My  friend,"  he  was  saying.  "  I  know  China.  For 
years  I  have  known  that  this  hour  would  come,  so  I 
am  ready  to  go  to  death  like  a  man." 

Turning  to  the  general  he  said :  "  Sir,  I  realize  that 
there  is  no  appeal  from  your  decision,  nor  do  I  make 
one.  You  are  correct.  I  am  a  revolutionist  because 
of  these  things  that  have  occurred  today,  for  my  case 
is  not  an  individual  one  and  this  is  the  way  the  govern- 
ment which  you  represent  carries  on  its  affairs.  Ac- 
tions similar  to  this  forced  this  rebellion  and  made  us 
your  enemies,  and  I  die  knowing  that  my  death  and 
the  death  of  other  men  like  me  will  mean  the  freedom 
of  China  from  the  rule  of  men  like  you." 

His  voice  was  calm,  but  his  words,  had  terrific  effect 


"  GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN  "    215 

on  the  crowd.  They  cried  out  against  the  decision; 
they  threatened  the  life  of  the  general  and  declared 
that  they  would  join  the  revolutionists. 

Chu  sought  to  quiet  them. 

"  My  friends,  it  is  useless.  I  served  you  in  life;  I 
am  now  willing  to  serve  you  in  death."  He  turned 
to  the  general  again. 

"  I  ask  of  you,  sir,  but  one  thing.  Let  me  have 
one  hour  alone  with  my  friend.  I  have  confessed 
that  I  am  a  revolutionist  and  you  need  no  further 
evidence,  but  there  are  some  things  that  I  want  to 
say  to  my  friend,  and  we  want  to  be  alone." 

"  Ah,  it's  a  plan  to  escape." 

"  Sir,  I  will  guarantee  his  return  to  you,"  Paul 
broke  in. 

The  general,  realizing  that  he  could  not  further 
oppose  it,  granted  the  request,  hoping  that  it  might 
win  him  a  little  favor. 

The  two  friends  went  apart.  At  first,  neither  of 
them  could  speak.  Paul  was  suffering  keenly. 

"  My  friend,  you  must  be  calm,"  Chu  said  at  last. 
"  We  have  traveled  side  by  side  a  good  many  years. 
This  is  no  time  to  give  way  to  emotion.  There  are 
many  things  that  I  want  to  say  to  you.  I  want  you 
to  take  a  message  to  my  father,  and  I  want  you  to 
tell  him  that  I  did  not  die  because  I  was  a  Christian, 
but  that  my  country  called  and  I  answered.  Tell  him 
that  I  believe  that  my  religion  will  save  me,  and 
that  I  go  out  into  the  great  beyond  happy  and  con- 
tented. I  do  not  know  how  I  could  face  death,  with- 
out the  peace  and  comfort  of  the  Christ." 


216     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment.  Then  he  went  on: 
"  I  want  you,  if  you  can,  to  tell  my  father  of  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  Christ.  He  has  disinherited  me,  but 
tell  him  that  we  can  again  be  united  in  the  love  of 
Christ." 

"  I  will  go  to  your  father,  Chu,"  Paul  assured  him. 
"  I  will  try  to  make  him  understand  all  the  things 
you  have  told  me,  and  I  will  tell  him  that  you  died  the 
death  of  an  honorable  man." 

"  But,  Paul,"  Chu  continued,  "  there  are  other  things 
about  which  we  must  talk.  Don't  doubt  for  a  mo- 
ment that  the  revolution  is  going  to  succeed.  The 
government  is  in  its  last  desperate  throes.  They  would 
not  kill  me,  and  others  like  me,  if  they  did  not  realize 
that  they  are  defeated,  and  they  want  to  destroy  those 
of  us  who  have  planned  this  thing.  The  government 
will  change  and  men  who  are  Christians  and  those 
who  have  been  trained  in  Christian  schools  will  be 
placed  in  authority.  When  that  time  comes,  the  church 
must  strike.  I  don't  mean  the  little  church  here  in 
China,  but  I  mean  that  great  church  in  America  and 
England.  Neither  do  I  mean  one  communion — I  mean 
all  communions,  for  they  must  work  together  for  this 
land.  At  one  time  the  church  could  have  possessed 
Japan,  but  it  let  a  strategic  hour  pass,  and  look  at 
Japan  today.  The  revolution  would  not  have  come 
to  pass  if  Japan  had  not  connived  with  the  present 
dynasty.  Japan  is  a  mighty  power,  and  if  it  were 
Christian,  think  of  what  it  could  do  for  God!  But  it 
is  not,  and  that  is  only  because  the  church  did  not 
strike  in  the  hour  of  its  opportunity.  And  now,  my 


"  GREATER  LOVE  HATH  NO  MAN  "    217 

friend,  I  beg  of  you  to  make  adequate  plans  for  imme- 
diate action." 

Paul  listened  eagerly. 

"  You  must  not  depend  upon  foreign  missionaries 
alone,"  Chu  went  on,  "  but  those  who  come  must  be 
men  of  the  highest  convictions  and  the  best  possible 
training.  Mediocre  men  will  not  do.  The  real  work 
before  the  missionary  should  be  the  training  of  young 
Chinese  leaders.  Our  chief  thought  has  been  how  to 
rid  ourselves  of  the  Manchu  dynasty.  Now  that  it  is 
about  to  be  destroyed,  the  young  men  will  want  to 
know  how  best  to  serve  the  new  government.  Thou- 
sands of  them  know  that  they  can  best  serve  it  by 
following  me  Christ.  Train  these  young  Chinese,  for 
in  them  lies  the  hope  of  my  country. 

"  And  now,  my  friend,  you  have  given  me  your  every 
confidence.  When  I  am  gone,  who  is  to  be  your  com- 
panion ?  I  know  you  have  a  love,  but  she  is  not  worthy 
of  you.  Why  not  marry  one  of  these  young  women 
who  have  been  here,  that  beautiful  nurse  who  saved 
your  life,  or  that  other  friend,  Miss  Stewart?  They 
love  the  Chinese  and  the  Chinese  love  them." 

"  Chu,"  Paul  answered,  "  I  would  like  to  promise 
you  anything  you  ask,  but  you  know  a  man  must  follow 
the  dictates  of  his  heart." 

"  I  know  that,"  Chu  returned,  "  but  I  shall  never  be 
able  to  talk  with  you  again,  and  I  am  giving  you  my 
last  thoughts.  I  ask  you  to  promise  me  but  one  thing, 
and  that  is  that  you  will  never  allow  your  father's 
money  or  the  influence  of  the  woman  you  love,  to 
take  you  from  China." 


218     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  Chu,  I  never  will." 

The  soldiers  were  knocking  at  the  door.  The  hour 
had  passed.  They  started  to  lay  hands  on  Chu,  but 
Paul  interfered.  "He  goes  willingly  and  alone,"  he 
said. 

Chu  walked  with  head  erect  out  into  the  open  court. 
When  they  came  to  blindfold  him  he  protested. 

"  I  die  with  my  eyes  open  before  Heaven,"  he  said, 
"  and  with  my  face  towards  my  friend." 

Many  in  the  crowd  turned  away  heartsick.  Every- 
where there  was  sobbing  and  crying,  and  the  soldiers 
were  beating  back  those  who  were  seeking  to  rescue 
their  friend.  Paul  stood  so  close  to  Chu  that  many 
feared  that  he  was  in  the  range  of  the  fire,  but  he 
refused  to  be  separated  by  a  great  distance. 

With  a  smile  on  his  face,  Chu  faced  the  firing  squad. 
Almost  instantly  the  command  was  given.  When  the 
shot  rang  out  Paul  felt  that  life  must  pass  from  him 
also,  so  great  was  his  sorrow. 

Thus  in  the  presence  of  his  friend,  and  of  the  people 
whom  he  had  served,  Chu  gave  up  his  life,  a  martyr 
for  his  country.  He  was  dead,  but  his  silent  lips 
called  to  the  people  of  Fou  Cheo  as  they  had  never 
called  in  life. 


XXXII 
STRANGE   MEETINGS 

WHILE  a  revolution  was  changing  a  nation, 
forces  far  removed  from  the  scenes  of  war 
were  bearing  upon  the  lives  of  two  women. 

Catherine  Williams  entered  enthusiastically  into  her 
work  in  New  York  and  soon  gained  the  confidence  of 
Dr.  Blackburn  and  other  physicians.  She  perfected 
her  training,  specialized  on  nervous  cases,  and  was  in 
constant  demand.  Her  calm  and  gentle  manner,  to- 
gether with  the  beauty  of  her  face  and  character, 
quieted  and  soothed  her  patients. 

One  day  Dr.  Blackburn  called  her  over  the  tele- 
phone. 

"  I  have  a  special  case  to  which  I  want  you  to  give 
your  attention,"  he  said.  "  It  is  one  that  has  baffled 
me  greatly.  It  is  the  case  of  a  Miss  Leonard.  There 
seems  to  be  something  on  her  mind,  and  she  has  broken 
down  completely.  I  think  you  can  help  her." 

Catherine  did  not  connect  the  name  of  Miss  Leon- 
ard with  that  of  Paul  Redmond.  On  reaching  New 
York  she  had  wondered  who  and  where  Madeline  was, 
for  she  knew  that  she  lived  in  the  city.  She  had  even 
thought  of  finding  her  out  and  calling  upon  her,  but 
was  afraid,  lest  it  would  displease  Paul. 

She  went  quietly  into  the  home  of  Madeline  Leon- 
ard, and  neither  woman  suspected  the  identity  of  the 

219 


220     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

other.  Madeline  delighted  in  looking  at  Catherine, 
considering  her  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  she 
had  ever  seen.  Her  illness  was  due  to  the  strain  under 
which  she  had  been  living,  and  she  was  suffering  from 
a  difficulty  which  was  far  more  serious  than  a  case  of 
nervous  exhaustion,  for  she  was  really  fighting  a 
battle  for  her  life.  Catherine,  desiring  to  help  her, 
was  exceedingly  tender  with  her,  endeavoring  in  every 
way  to  arouse  her  from  the  apathy  that  caused  her  to 
gaze  long  and  wistfully  from  her  window,  with  eyes 
that  seemed  to  be  ever  searching  the  far  distance  for 
that  which  they  never  found. 

Catherine  rarely  left  her  patient  and  so  had  seen 
very  little  of  the  beautiful  home.  But  one  morning 
Madeline  sent  her  to  her  own  little  study.  When  she 
entered  the  room  her  heart  stood  still,  for  there  on 
the  table,  directly  in  front  of  her,  was  a  picture  of 
Paul  Redmond !  In  a  flash  she  realized  that  her  patient 
was  the  Madeline  to  whom  Paul  Redmond  had  called 
in  his  delirium.  She  now  recalled  the  picture  of 
Madeline  she  had  seen  in  Paul's  study,  understood  why 
she  had  been  so  baffled  by  the  sick  girl's  resemblance 
to  someone  she  had  seen  or  known  before. 

"  Will  it  be  honest  to  remain  here  ?  "  she  asked  her- 
self— "or  must  I  leave  her?" 

She  succeeded  in  covering  her  agitation  when  she 
returned  to  Madeline,  but  when  the  doctor  came,  she 
told  him  that  there  were  reasons  why  she  thought  she 
ought  to  be  relieved  from  the  case. 

The  doctor  laughed. 

"  Not  at  all,"  he  said.    "If  you  will  stay  you  can 


STRANGE  MEETINGS  221 

help  her,  but  if  I  should  have  to  call  in  another  nurse 
now,  the  outcome  is  uncertain." 

And  so  she  was  forced  to  remain. 

"  Perhaps  in  staying  I  am  serving  Paul  Redmond," 
she  thought. 

That  night  Madeline  was  more  than  usually  restless. 
She  cried  out  in  her  sleep,  and  again  and  again  she 
called  to  Paul. 

"  Oh,  why  did  that  terrible  woman  come  between 
us?  "  she  asked  piteously. 

If  she  had  awakened  at  that  moment  and  looked 
into  the  face  beside  her,  she  would  have  been  startled 
by  the  look  of  pain  upon  it,  but  Catherine  sat  with 
quieting  hand  upon  hers. 

As  the  days  went  on  Catherine  decided  to  talk  to 
her. 

"  There  is  something  troubling  you,"  she  said.  "  I 
wish  you  would  tell  me  all  about  it." 

"  Catherine,"  Madeline  answered,  "  there  isn't  any- 
thing I  wouldn't  tell  you.  I  have  made  few  women 
companions,  and  you  seem  more  worthy  of  love  and 
trust  than  any  woman  I  have  ever  known.  I  can't 
understand  why  you  are  doing  this  kind  of  work.  You 
surely  must  have  had  many  opportunities  of  marriage. 
Why  haven't  you  married  ?  " 

Catherine  smiled  to  cover  her  pain. 

"  It  is  not  my  story  that  we  are  to  talk  about,  but 
yours,"  she  answered.  "  What  is  it  that  is  troubling 
you?" 

Madeline  then  told  her  nurse  the  story  she  knew 
so  well.  Catherine  listened  intently,  for  Madeline  was 


222      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

revealing  her  attitude.  She  rebelled  against  the  blame 
that  the  sick  girl  heaped  upon  Paul  Redmond,  and 
when  she  arraigned  the  woman  who  had  kissed  him 
on  the  steamer,  she  turned  away  to  cover  the  flush 
that  crept  into  her  cheeks. 

"  Catherine,"  Madeline  went  on,  "  I  have  promised 
to  marry  another  man,  but  it  will  be  almost  a  crime 
to  do  it,  for  I  do  not  love  him.  He  is  a  good  man  and 
I  respect  him,  and  he  knows  exactly  how  I  feel  towards 
him.  But  that  is  not  enough.  Oh,  how  I  wish  this 
terrible  thing  could  be  explained." 

"  He  only  asked  you  to  trust  him,  didn't  he  ?  "  asked 
Catherine.  "  Why  should  you  not  trust  such  a  man 
as  he?" 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?  "  Madeline  asked  quietly. 

Catherine  hesitated,  but  only  for  a  moment. 

"  I  have  heard  of  him.  Dr.  Blackburn  speaks  of 
him  often.  My  advice  to  you  would  be  to  trust  him." 

Catherine  had  almost  decided  that  the  time  had 
come  to  tell  Madeline  the  truth,  but  she  wondered 
if  it  would  be  right,  seeing  that  Paul  had  refused  to 
do  so.  The  unburdening  of  her  mind  seemed  to  have 
helped  Madeline,  but  she  was  still  troubled  about  her 
relation  to  George  Curtis. 

"  Before  you  can  get  well,"  Catherine  advised,  "  you 
must  break  your  engagement.  Even  though  you  should 
never  marry  Mr.  Redmond,  at  least  while  you  love 
him,  you  ought  never  to  marry  anyone  else.  You  must 
follow  the  trail  alone." 

"  The  trail  ?  "  exclaimed  Madeline.  "  Why,  that  is 
Paul's  expression.  That  is  the  way  he  speaks  of  life. 


STRANGE  MEETINGS  223 

Indeed,  at  times  you  talk  very  much  as  he  does.  I 
have  often  noticed  and  wondered  at  it." 

Still  Catherine  said  nothing.  She  was  not  yet  ready 
to  tell  all  that  was  in  her  heart.  She  advised  Madeline 
to  see  George  Curtis.  He  had  been  very  solicitous 
during  her  illness,  but  she  had  refused  to  allow  him 
to  come  to  see  her. 

At  last,  with  the  doctor's  permission,  Catherine  told 
George  Curtis  that  he  might  see  Madeline.  He  came 
expectant  and  joyous.  The  interview  left  Madeline 
trembling  and  white  to  the  lips,  for  she  did  not  wish  to 
be  cruel. 

"  Oh,  why  must  I  hurt  two  men  ?  "  she  said.  "  I 
have  broken  the  heart  of  one,  and  now  I  know  how 
deeply  this  other  man  loves  me,  even  though  I  cannot 
return  his  love.  He,  too,  has  gone  away  broken- 
hearted." 

It  was  decided  that  a  change  of  scene  might  help 
her,  and  so  a  trip  that  extended  over  ten  days  was 
arranged,  from  which  Madeline  returned  feeling  much 
stronger. 

"  Miss  Leonard,"  said  Catherine,  "  Dr.  Blackburn 
has  another  important  case  for  me,  and  I  must  leave 
you  now." 

"  Oh,  Catherine,"  Madeline  said,  "  I  don't  want  you 
to  leave  me  now,  or  at  any  other  time.  I  want  you  to 
stay  with  me  always — to  be  my  companion.  I  will 
give  you  a  place  in  society  that  will  enable  you  to  go 
anywhere,  and  until  the  time  arrives  when  some  good 
man  asks  you  to  be  his  wife,  I  want  you  to  remain 
here  with  me." 


224     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Catherine's  answer  was  very  positive.  "  No,  I  can- 
not do  that,"  she  said. 

"  But  why  can  you  not  ?  "  Madeline  pleaded.  "  Why 
do  you  hold  me  at  arms'  length,  dear?  I  have  told 
you  everything  in  my  life,  but  I  have  never  been  able 
to  get  a  glimpse  into  yours.  You  hardly  ever  speak 
of  your  parents  and  you  have  never  told  me  how  you 
happened  to  come  to  New  York.  Why  are  you  so 
silent?" 

"  Some  time  I  will  tell  you,  but  not  now.  I  will 
stay  a  few  days,  and  during  those  few  days  I  promise 
to  tell  you,  but  not  now." 

"  Oh,  Catherine,  you  must  not  leave  me.  There  is 
only  one  condition  under  which  I  could  consent  to  it, 
and  that  is  if  Paul  should  return.  Perhaps  then  I 
could  give  you  up,  dear.  Oh,  why  did  that  woman 
come  between  us  ?  "  she  repeated  again,  her  lips  quiver- 
ing and  her  eyes  full  of  tears. 

Catherine  was  white  and  tense. 

"  Can't  you  imagine  a  circumstance,"  she  asked, 
"  under  the  stress  of  which  a  woman  like  that  would 
involuntarily  do  something  that  might  bring  criticism 
upon  a  man?  Imagine  a  woman — an  outcast — from 
whom  good  men  turn  away,  and  women  scorn?  Can 
you  imagine  a  man,  such  as  you  describe  Mr.  Red- 
mond to  be,  raising  his  hat  to  her  in  the  morning  and 
at  night,  while  walking  up  and  down  the  deck,  al- 
though he  knew  her  reputation?  Can  you  think  what 
that  would  mean  to  a  woman  like  that?  Can't  you 
understand  why  that  woman  would  want  to  talk  to 
him  for  a  few  moments,  and  that  it  would  be  only 


STRANGE  MEETINGS  225 

natural  for  a  man  of  his  type  to  plead  with  her  to 
forsake  her  life  of  sin  ?  Then,  perhaps,  some  months 
later,  when  they  met  again  by  accident,  and  some  of 
the  men  from  her  old  life  tried  to  overpower  her  and 
drive  her  back  to  a  life  of  shame,  this  man  who  had 
been  a  friend  to  her  before,  interfered  and  saved  her, 
and  the  girl,  in  the  impetuous  expression  of  her  grati- 
tude, kissed  him.  Can't  you  imagine  a  thing  like 
that  ?  "  She  was  white  and  breathless  when  she  finished. 

"  Oh,  if  that  were  only  the  story.  I  should  love  Paul 
all  the  more,"  said  Madeline,  "  and  I  would  love  the 
girl  for  kissing  him." 

"  Then  listen.  That  is  the  story,  and  I  am  that  girl. 
I  did  not  know  you  were  the  woman  Paul  Redmond 
loved  when  I  came  into  your  home,  or  I  assure  you  I 
would  never  have  come." 

"  You  ? — You  the  girl  I  have  been  hating  all  these 
months  ?  "  cried  Madeline  excitedly, — but  her  voice 
was  exultantly  glad. 

"  Yes,  I  am  that  girl,"  said  Catherine  again.  She 
then  told  Madeline  the  story  of  Paul's  illness,  and  of 
how  his  mind  had  wandered  in  his  delirium,  and  how 
he  had  called  out  for  her. 

"  I  will  go  to  him  at  once  and  bring  him  home," 
Madeline  said. 

"  Oh,  you  are  mistaken,"  said  Catherine.  "  You  can 
never  bring  him  home.  I  believe  that  if  you  will  tell 
him  that  you  will  travel  the  '  trail  to  the  hearts  of 
men '  with  him,  as  he  puts  it,  you  will  bring  great  joy 
into  his  life, — and  he  deserves  it — oh,  how  he  deserves 
it!" 


226     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Madeline  looked  up  quickly. 

"  Catherine,  tell  me.     Do  you  love  him  ?  " 

Catherine  looked  straight  into  the  other  woman's 
eyes  as  she  answered :  "I  do — but  I  know  that  he 
is  far  beyond  me  and  above  me,  and  that  I  could  never 
possess  his  love.  But  you  can.  I  beg  of  you  to  give 
up  this  idea  that  you  will  not  go  to  him — that  you  have 
work  to  do  here.  Go  to  him  and  tell  him  that  you  have 
come  to  follow  him  to  the  end  of  the  trail." 

"  Oh,  I  want  to,  Catherine,  but  I  am  not  fitted  for 
such  a  life.  Think  of  the  dangers  he  faces,  and  of  how 
well  he  could  help  those  people  from  here.  I  am  so 
glad  that  you  told  me;  I  am  glad  for  everything  you 
did,  and  I  love  you  for  it,  but,  most  of  all,  Catherine, 
I  am  glad  for  you.  Now  that  you  have  told  me  this, 
won't  you  remain  here  as  my  companion — won't  you 
take  my  name  and  be  my  sister  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  answer  you  now,  Madeline.  I  want  to — 
but  would  it  be  right?  Wouldn't  it  embarrass  you 
some  time  or  other?  No,  I  cannot  give  you  my  an- 
swer now." 

Upon  reaching  New  York,  Frances  Stewart  tried 
immediately  to  locate  Catherine  Williams,  and  when 
Dr.  Blackburn  told  her  that  she  was  with  Madeline 
Leonard,  her  emotions  were  of  a  varied  order.  She 
wondered  what  this  could  mean,  for  she  had  not  heard 
of  Madeline's  illness  and  she  could  not  believe  that  the 
latter  had  sought  out  Catherine.  But  an  early  visit 
from  Madeline  soon  explained  the  whole  affair. 

"  Frances,"  she  said,  "  I  am  here  to  ask  you  a  great 
many  things.  You  have  just  returned  from  China, 


STRANGE  MEETINGS  227 

and  I  want  you  to  tell  me  just  how  you  feel  about  this 
whole  matter.  I  resented  some  of  the  things  you  said 
in  the  past,  but  I  now  want  to  know  everything." 

"  But  why  this  change,  Madeline  ?  "  asked  Frances. 
"Are  you  still  questioning  Paul's  action?" 

Madeline  looked  at  her  a  moment  before  answering. 

"  Haven't  you  heard?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  have  just  heard  that  Catherine  Williams  is  living 
with  you,"  Frances  made  reply,  "  and  I  am  wondering 
if  you  know  who  she  is." 

"  Yes,  I  know  who  she  is,  and  I  know  the  whole 
story,  for  there  is  nothing  Catherine  has  kept  from  me. 
In  fact,  I  believe  she  has  told  me  more  about  her  life 
than  she  has  ever  told  anyone.  I  consider  her  a  won- 
derful woman,  and  I  never  in  all  of  my  life  respected 
anyone  so  much.  I  am  now  thoroughly  ashamed  that 
I  did  not  tell  Paul  in  Yokohama  that  I  trusted  him 
implicitly,  for  then  he  would  have  told  me  the  whole 
story,  and  I  should  have  understood.  Isn't  it  strange 
that  this  woman,  who,  by  an  unconscious  act  separated 
us,  should  have  been  instrumental  in  saving  both  our 
lives?  Dr.  Blackburn  tells  me  that  I  might  have  be- 
come insane  had  it  not  been  for  her,  and  you  know 
what  she  did  for  Paul.  But  that  is  not  what  I  came 
here  for.  I  came  to  ask  you  what  it  is  I  should  do. 
Paul  is  so  proud,  and  so  difficult,  that  I  wonder  how 
I  am  going  to  make  him  feel  that  I  now  understand 
him.  How,  think  you,  does  he  feel  after  all  this? 
I  confess,  Frances,  that  I  feel  that  most  men  would 
despise  me.  And  I  believe  that  even  if  he  should  I 
shall  go  down  to  my  grave,  not  hating  him,  but  loving 


228     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

him  more.  But  even  now,  loving  him  as  I  do,  and 
wanting  him  as  I  do,  I  have  not  come  to  the  place 
where  I  can  decide  to  go  to  him." 

Frances  looked  at  her  appalled.  "  Madeline,"  she 
said  sternly,  "  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  after  all 
that  has  happened  you  are  not  willing  to  follow  Paul 
anywhere  ?  " 

"  I  am  willing  to  marry  him  if  he  will  give  up  his 
work  in  China,"  answered  Madeline  doggedly,  "  but 
I  can't  do  it  if  he  continues  to  stay  there.  Why, 
Frances,  the  very  stories  that  you  yourself  have  told 
me  of  famine,  and  typhus  fever  and  the  revolution  " — 
here  Madeline  shuddered — "  make  it  impossible  for  me 
to  think  of  going  out  to  Paul.  I  could  not  do  it." 

"  But,  Madeline,  when  you  think  of  what  he  is  doing 
and  how  these  people  love  him,  it  seems  to  me  that 
you  ought  to  be  able  to  go  anywhere  and  do  anything 
in  the  world  that  he  wants  you  to  do." 

Madeline  shook  her  head. 

"  I  know  how  you  talked  when  you  came  home  be- 
fore, Frances,  I  know  how  you  felt  about  it  when  he 
was  ill,  but  in  spite  of  all  I  cannot  go — except  just  for 
a  little  while.  I  will  persuade  him  to  come  back. 
Frances,  now  and  then  there  are  women  who  leave  the 
ease  of  modern  society,  but  not  many.  I  am  a  type 
of  that  society — you  are  an  exception.  You  could 
go  anywhere  and  do  anything  for  the  man  you  love, 
but  it  is  not  so  with  the  average  woman.  The  man 
who  loves  her  must  do  her  bidding.  I  am  not  de- 
fending the  position,  I  am  simply  stating  facts  as  they 
exist,  and  not  as  they  ought  to  be.  Be  patient,  Frances, 


STRANGE  MEETINGS  229 

with  a  product  of  this  society,  of  which  you  yourself 
are  a  part.  I  am  sorry  this  is  so;  but  it  is,  and  I 
know  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  yield." 

Away  in  far-off  China,  Paul  Redmond  was  ponder- 
ing over  the  last  words  of  Chu.  He  was  facing  himself 
and  the  long  future  which  he  must  live  alone,  now  that 
his  friend  was  gone,  and  he  wondered  why  this  com- 
panion who  meant  so  much  in  his  life  should  have  been 
taken  from  him.  Why  not  seek  one  of  the  companions 
whom  Chu  had  named?  He  recalled  that  Frances 
Stewart  had  said  that  she  must  always  come  as  a  tran- 
sient visitor.  Madeline  would  come  in  that  way,  too. 
But  what  about  that  other  woman — the  Magdalen,  as 
he  called  her — the  woman  who  came  so  silently  to  help 
him,  whose  smile  had  charmed  the  Chinese,  and  to 
whom  he  owed  his  very  life?  "Why  should  I  not 
marry  Catherine  ?  "  he  said  to  himself.  "  I  believe  she 
could  love  me.  I  could  cherish  her  and  " — he  was 
about  to  say — respect  her.  But  could  he?  Could  he 
ever  forget  her  past? 


XXXIII 
THE   NEW   IN   ACTION 

THE  Manchu  general  had  not  anticipated  the 
indignation  that  would  result  from  Chu's  exe- 
cution, nor  had  he  realized  how  thoroughly  this 
quiet  young  Chinaman  had  gripped  the  hearts  of  the 
people  of  the  city  of  Fou  Cheo.  They  had  found  him 
absolutely  honorable  in  the  midst  of  big  enterprises, 
and  they  believed  him  unselfish.  "  Why  was  he 
killed  ?  "  they  questioned. 

"  Because  he  was  a  revolutionist,"  came  the  reply. 

"  Is  a  revolutionist  a  man  opposed  to  graft?  "  they 
asked  again,  "  a  man  who  serves  us  when  the  famine 
is  upon  us,  a  man  who  risks  his  life  for  others?  Is 
that  a  revolutionist?  We  have  been  taught  to  believe 
that  they  are  men  to  be  feared,  but  if  Chu's  doctrine 
teaches  such  loyalty  to  China  and  the  Chinese,  then 
we  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  these  men  who  ordered 
his  death." 

The  Manchu  leaders  were  planning  to  oppose  the 
army  that  was  marching  towards  Fou  Cheo,  but  they 
were  unprepared  for  an  uprising  of  the  whole  city. 
The  garrison  of  soldiers,  a  much  larger  force  than  was 
usually  stationed  there,  was  utterly  unable  to  cope  with 
what  occurred  during  the  night  following  Chu's  execu- 
tion. The  rich  man  of  the  district  and  the  leaders  of 
the  city  threw  themselves  on  the  side  of  the  rebellion. 


THE  NEW  IN  ACTION  231 

"  In  the  face  of  such  deep  injustice,"  they  said,  "  the 
Manchu  general  and  his  host  must  go." 

Paul  was  kept  in  ignorance  of  what  was  about  to 
happen.  The  people  knew  he  was  grieving  over  the 
death  of  his  friend,  and,  as  with  bowed  head, 
he  passed  through  the  street,  they  literally  wept  for 
him.  Forgetting  their  Oriental  stoicism,  their  hearts 
went  out  in  deepest  sympathy  to  this  man  whose  com- 
panion had  died,  not  because  of  a  crime  he  had  com- 
mitted, but  because  he  had  loved  his  country  well. 

The  Manchus  had  taken  extraordinary  precaution  in 
guarding  the  city  after  Chu's  execution,  and  a  heavy 
guard  had  been  formed  both  inside  and  outside  the 
city.  With  the  coming  of  darkness,  silence  reigned. 
Lamps  had  gone  out  and  the  city  seemed  to  be  asleep. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  guards  among  themselves,  "  they 
know  better  than  to  strike  when  an  army  like  ours 
occupies  the  city." 

Carelessly  the  guards  left  their  posts,  and  talked  with 
each  other,  or  joined  the  little  circles  of  gamblers. 
The  city  watchman  went  through  the  streets  calling 
the  second  watch.  He  had  just  passed  down  the  prin- 
cipal street  when  suddenly,  as  if  a  single  arm  had 
swung  aside  the  narrow  panels  of  the  doors,  out  of 
every  house  came  armed  men.  A  shot  rang  out.  The 
soldiers  outside  the  walls  heard  it  and  decided  that  it 
was  accidental.  With  the  guards  overpowered  and 
their  arms  secured,  the  mob  moved  on  towards  the 
Yamen  and  the  camp  of  the  general.  The  uncom- 
manded  mob  of  the  morning  had  become  an  army — 
an  army  of  men  fighting  for  a  cause,  who  believed  that 


232     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

the  time  had  come  to  take  revenge  for  the  death  of 
their  friend.  Now  and  then  someone  cried  out  ex- 
citedly: "We'll  kill  him— We'll  kill  him,"  but  for  the 
greater  part  they  were  calm  and  controlled.  Like  the 
mob  of  the  morning,  this  army  was  composed  of  men 
from  every  class.  Their  faces  showed  both  determina- 
tion and  hate. 

When  they  saw  the  size  of  the  approaching  army 
the  soldiers  at  the  Yamen  fled,  and  the  magistrate  came 
out  half  dressed,  begging  for  mercy.  Taking  the  offi- 
cial by  the  arm  the  crowd  pushed  him  in  front  of  them, 
hooting  and  jeering,  and  approached  the  camp  of  the 
general.  Swiftly  out  of  the  night  came  a  figure  which 
all  of  them  instantly  recognized.  They  saw  the  white, 
drawn  face  of  Paul  Redmond. 

"  We'll  have  revenge  for  your  friend  and  ours,"  they 
cried  out  to  him. 

Paul  spoke  authoritatively. 

"  It  is  all  right  to  capture  these  men,  but  I  insist 
that  no  violence  shall  be  done  them  until  they  shall 
have  had  a  trial,"  said  Paul  authoritatively.  "  One 
man  was  executed  today  without  a  trial;  let  us  not 
allow  this  to  happen  again." 

With  a  few  shots  they  scattered  the  soldiers  on 
guard  at  the  headquarters  of  the  general,  and  went 
in  to  find  him  trembling  and  on  his  knees,  begging  for 
mercy.  When  he  saw  Paul,  he  said :  "  Ah,  you  have 
done  this,  have  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  here  not  to  see  you  killed,"  Paul  answered, 
"  but  to  see  that  justice  is  shown  you." 

The  magistrate  and  the  general  were  taken  to  the 


THE  NEW  IN  ACTION  233 

court  where  Chu  had  been  shot  that  morning,  and  the 
leader  of  the  mob  was  appointed  judge.  The  general 
was  placed  in  front  of  him  and  then  the  leaders  turned 
to  Paul. 

"  Sir,"  they  said,  "  he  killed  your  friend  and  ours, 
and  now  we  propose  to  kill  him." 

Paul  realized  the  great  responsibility  of  the  moment, 
for  he  knew  that  his  word  would  determine  the  fate  of 
this  man.  In  his  bitterness  of  the  night  he  had  de- 
clared that  the  general  must  be  punished,  and  now 
these  men  were  calling  upon  him  to  judge  this  man  who 
deserved  death.  He  knew  that  great  caution  was 
necessary,  if  he  was  to  teach  the  doctrine  of  real 
charity  to  this  group  of  men,  who,  up  to  this  time,  had 
never  exercised  power.  Yet  he  felt  that  he  must  teach 
it  and  with  the  very  greatest  care  if  the  country  was 
to  be  saved. 

"  My  friends,"  he  said,  "  I  am  sure  you  know  that 
I  believe  this  man  deserves  death,  but  you  must  realize 
that  there  is  a  new  responsibility  upon  you.  This  is 
the  time  when  you  must  practice  justice.  I  know,  of 
course,  that  you  must  not  be  weak,  but  you  must  carry 
out  the  principles  and  ideals  for  which  you  are  fight- 
ing. Even  war,  terrible  as  it  is,  can  express  humanity 
and  justice.  You  have  conquered  these  men  and  they 
are  in  your  hands,  and  you  can  now  show  to 
China  and  to  the  world  that  though  you  have  great 
cause  for  punishing  this  man  at  once — no  group  of 
people  ever  had  a  greater — you  will  forbear  until  you 
can  refer  his  case  to  a  higher  tribunal.  Your  govern- 
ment is  only  temporary.  You  have  so  recently  come 


234     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

into  power,  and  you  are  only  a  part  of  a  larger  rebel- 
lion. When  your  government  shall  have  been  estab- 
lished in  Nanking,  you  can  take  your  case  to  the 
officials  there  for  decision." 

The  leaders  instantly  recognized  the  strength  of 
Paul's  argument,  and  prepared  to  follow  his  advice. 
But  the  crowd  murmured  and  cried  out,  not  only 
against  the  leaders,  but  against  Paul  himself,  for  they 
thirsted  for  revenge. 

Runners  were  sent  out  from  the  city  to  inform  the 
advancing  rebel  army  that  Fou  Cheo  had  already  been 
taken.  At  its  head  was  a  young  man,  trained  in  a 
mission  school,  who  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
city.  Paul  marveled  at  his  simplicity,  for  there  was 
no  show  of  pomp  and  glory  in  which  the  old  officialdom 
had  delighted.  The  young  man  walked  the  streets  in 
democratic  simplicity.  He  demonstrated  that  the  old 
autocratic  government  was  soon  to  pass,  and  that  in  its 
place  there  was  to  be  a  real  democracy.  He  conferred 
with  Paul  continually  and  a  great  intimacy  sprang  up 
between  them,  for  they  soon  found  that  they  had 
common  ideals  and  purposes.  The  young  leader  was 
furious  when  he  heard  of  the  death  of  Chu,  and  was 
anxious  that  the  Manchu  general  should  be  executed, 
but  Paul  counseled  moderation. 

"  It  is  the  history  of  past  rebellions,"  he  said,  "  that 
they  have  been  drenched  in  blood,  and  I  have  hoped 
that  this  movement,  as  far  as  the  revolutionary  leaders 
are  concerned,  might  accomplish  its  end  with  a  mini- 
mum amount  of  slaughter.  You  have  a  rare  opportu- 
nity to  demonstrate  the  real  principles  of  Christianity 


THE  NEW  IN  ACTION 

and  to  show  the  world  that  tyrannical  governments 
can  be  overthrown  without  carnage." 

The  young  leader  acquiesced  in  this  plan,  and  ar- 
ranged to  send  the  Manchu  general  to  the  officials  of 
the  new  government  at  Nanking.  Meanwhile  he  laid 
broad  plans  for  reform  in  the  district.  His  intense 
hatred  of  the  graft  of  the  old  officialdom  surprised 
Paul.  It  was  a  new  experience  for  a  Chinese  to  feel 
about  it  as  did  this  young  leader.  He  insisted  that 
the  men  under  him  should  observe  the  strictest  rules 
of  honesty.  At  first  the  people  could  not  understand 
him,  for  it  was  an  altogether  unheard-of  thing  for  an 
official  to  refuse  to  take  advantage  of  opportunities 
afforded  for  personal  benefit. 


XXXIV 
A  NEW  NATION'S   NEED 

THE  greatest  delight  that  Paul  had  in  the  new 
official  was  the  fact  that  he  was  so  thoroughly 
modern  in  his  attitude  toward  the  city  and  its 
life,  and  was  continually  surprised  by  the  reforms  that 
he  had  in  mind.  He  planned  to  improve  the  filthy 
cobble-stone  streets  and,  where  the  width  of  the  street 
permitted,  to  construct  carriage  roads.  He  installed 
telephones  and  electric  lights.  None  of  these  things 
had  been  thought  of  before.  In  addition  to  this,  he 
was  interested  in  the  whole  question  of  sewerage  as 
the  most  important  part  of  his  campaign  against  dirt 
and  filth.  Paul  had  given  much  thought  to  all  these 
improvements,  but  under  the  regime  of  the  old  magis- 
trate he  had  despaired  of  ever  seeing  them  accom- 
plished; but  here  was  a  young  man  who  dared  to  do 
the  most  progressive  things  and  to  institute  lasting 
reforms.  To  him,  the  cutting  off  of  the  queue  and 
such  outward  signs  were  incidental.  He  really  wanted 
to  make  of  China  a  great  and  powerful  nation. 

With  this  new  attitude  prevailing  toward  modern 
education  and  thought,  Paul  felt  that  something  could 
now  be  done  along  the  line  of  public  preaching.  He 
had  heard  that  in  other  parts  of  China  great  taber- 
nacles had  been  erected  and  large  concourses  of  people 
assembled  for  the  services.  At  the  public  lectures  he 

236 


A  NEW  NATION'S  NEED  237 

had  given  on  hygiene  and  other  subjects,  the  small 
rooms  had  been  crowded.  He  hoped  that  China  would 
now  adopt  something  more  than  the  mere  outward 
expressions  of  modern  civilization,  for  he  wanted  truth 
to  reform  and  convert  China  and  have  a  lasting  effect 
upon  it.  He  went  to  the  young  official. 

"  I  want  something  for  Fou  Cheo  that  is  unusual, 
and  that  may  seem  impracticable,"  he  said.  "  I  am 
willing  to  finance  it,  but  I  want  your  help  and  coopera- 
tion. It  is  my  desire  to  build  here  a  great  tabernacle 
that  will  seat  at  least  a  thousand  people,  and  attempt, 
if  possible,  to  get  them  to  attend  the  preaching  services 
which  we  want  to  hold." 

"  Excellent,"  said  the  official,  "  but  I  do  not  want 
you  to  build  it — I  will  do  it;  and  instead  of  having  it 
seat  a  thousand,  we  must  have  it  hold  many  more." 

Paul  marveled  at  his  ready  cooperation.  He  was 
thinking  of  the  little  preaching  hall  that  held  only  one 
hundred  and  fifty  people,  and  which  had  seldom  been 
filled  at  the  regular  services. 

The  young  official  was  enthusiastic  over  the  plan. 

"  I  know,"  he  said,  striking  himself  on  the  chest, 
"  how  the  young  men  are  questioning.  Christianity 
has  never  been  presented  in  an  adequate  way.  I  know 
that  this  has  been  because  of  lack  of  funds.  Your 
churches  have  been  on  side  streets,  and  they  have  not 
been  pretentious  buildings,  and  for  that  reason  the 
better  class  of  Chinese  have  thought  that  your  religion 
is  not  important.  The  people  of  this  district  are  com- 
mencing to  trust  me,  and  we  are  going  to  do  this  thing 
in  a  big  way." 


238     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

One  of  the  best  lots  in  the  city  was  chosen  for  the 
tabernacle  and  it  was  built  in  a  substantial  way.  Paul 
was  astonished  when  he  found  that  it  was  seated  to 
hold  three  thousand  people.  He  said  to  the  old  evange- 
list :  "  Perhaps  in  ten  or  fifteen  years  a  place  like 
this  could  be  filled,  but  I  am  afraid  we  are  going  to  be 
the  laughing  stock  of  the  people." 

The  old  evangelist,  the  group  of  doctors,  and  many 
others,  assured  him  that  if  Christianity  could  be  rep- 
resented in  an  adequate  way  it  would  have  a  great  hear- 
ing, so  he  set  himself  to  the  task  of  inviting  the  people 
to  attend  the  services.  He  sent  out  five  thousand  tickets 
to  merchants  and  scholars  for  the  first  meeting,  with 
the  information  that  those  who  wanted  to  attend  the 
series  of  meetings,  which  would  extend  over  two  weeks, 
should  apply  for  season  tickets  at  the  mission  house. 

Early  next  morning  he  was  called  out  into  the  coun- 
try. Upon  returning  at  noon  he  was  surprised  to  see 
a  great  crowd  of  people  about  the  mission  premises. 
At  first  he  thought  it  to  be  a  mob,  but  upon  mingling 
with  the  crowd,  found  it  friendly.  He  asked  what  it 
all  meant,  and  they  replied  that  they  desired  the  tickets 
that  would  entitle  them  to  attend  all  the  meetings  at 
the  tabernacle.  Four  thousand  tickets  were  issued  that 
day,  and  now  the  question  arose — "  What  are  we  going 
to  do  with  all  these  people  ?  " 

The  old  evangelist's  eyes  twinkled. 

"What  people?"  he  asked.  "I  thought  you  said 
the  tabernacle  was  too  large  ?  " 

Paul  laid  his  hand  on  his  arm  and  said : 

"  Ah,  my  friend,  I  suppose  I  have  not  been  able  to 


A  NEW  NATION'S  NEED  289 

conceive  of  this  new  day.  I  know  that  others  have 
worked  longer  than  I  with  little  success,  and  now  that 
China  is  so  open  to  the  teachings  of  Christianity, 
I  cannot  realize  that  the  hour  for  which  we  have  long 
prayed  is  actually  here." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  old  evangelist,  "  it  has  taken  a  cen- 
tmy  for  this  hour  to  arrive.  During  the  next  ten  days 
things  are  going  to  happen  in  this  city  of  which  none 
of  us  has  ever  dreamed,  and  not  only  now  in  this  city 
but  soon  throughout  China." 

Paul  looked  away  for  a  moment,  and  then  he  turned 
a  sad  face  to  the  old  evangelist. 

**  If  only  Chu  were  here  to  see  it,"  he  said. 

"  He  will  know,  my  friend,  and  because  of  what  he 
and  others  like  him  have  done  for  China,  this  hour  has 
been  made  possible.  It  is  the  way  of  life.  Someone 
must  pay  the  price." 


XXXV 

THE  FRUITAGE  OF  FORMER  WORK 

PAUL  soon  realized  that  the  whole  city  was  in- 
terested in  the  meetings  and  that  his  organiza- 
tion was  utterly  inadequate.  He  had  invited  Dr. 
Means,  because  of  his  marked  ability  for  such  work, 
and  in  addition  secured  some  of  the  best  Chinese  speak- 
ers he  could  find,  although  he,  himself,  was  now  able 
to  speak  Chinese  fluently.  He  wanted  to  strike  a  blow 
for  Christianity  such  as  had  never  been  struck  perhaps 
in  any  city  in  the  province,  and  he  not  only  planned 
for  the  ten  days  of  the  meeting,  but  gave  much  thought 
to  the  period  of  instruction  which  would  necessarily 
follow  it.  He  realized  that  men  like  the  old  evangelist 
had  served  their  day  and  generation.  They  had  ac- 
complished a  great  work  with  a  certain  type  of  people, 
but  now  he  must  use  not  only  the  young  physicians 
and  teachers  who  were  helping  him  in  the  district,  but 
he  must  have  well-trained  men  to  lead  in  the  preach- 
ing and  teaching.  While  most  of  his  time  was  occu- 
pied in  carrying  out  the  details  of  the  meeting,  he  also 
prepared  himself  for  the  opportunity  that  was  before 
him. 

"  The  work  I  have  done  has  only  been  preparatory," 
he  said  to  himself.  "  Men  who  have  lived  lives  fet- 
tered by  prejudices  and  superstitions  are  now  opening 

240 


THE  FRUITAGE  OF  FORMER  WORK   241 

their  hearts  since  they  see  I  am  working  in  their 
behalf." 

A  day  or  two  before  the  meeting  Paul  called  together 
a  number  of  his  friends  who  had  worked  with  him 
in  the  famine  relief,  also  the  young  official. 

"  Friends,"  he  said,  "  together  we  have  helped  the 
city  in  many  ways,  and  now  I  want  your  help  in  a  new 
enterprise.  You  know  of  the  great  tabernacle  that  has 
been  erected  and  the  series  of  meetings  that  has  been 
planned.  The  little  church  here  is  small,  and  it  will  be 
utterly  impossible  for  me  to  do  this  work  alone.  Help 
me  at  this  time  when  I  need  you  so  much." 

He  was  amazed  at  their  response.  They  all  ex- 
pressed a  willingness  to  assist  him  in  every  possible 
way,  and  asked  him  to  command  them.  The  organiza- 
tion which  he  perfected  was  masterful.  Follow-up 
work  was  carefully  considered  and  planned.  The  first 
meeting  was  held  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
Dr.  Means,  jovial  and  smiling,  rubbed  his  hands  to- 
gether, saying :  "  This  is  the  stuff.  When  you  begin 
to  work  in  this  way,  it  means  that  something  will  be 
done." 

When  he  reached  the  tabernacle,  two  hours  before 
the  meeting,  Paul  was  amazed  to  find  it  almost  filled. 
People  were  traveling  toward  it  in  great  streams. 
After  a  consultation  with  the  leaders,  he  had  large 
posters  put  on  the  outer  door  telling  them  that  follow- 
ing the  first  meeting  a  second  and,  if  needed,  a  third 
would  be  held  to  accommodate  the  people.  He  asked 
them  to  come  back  at  five  o'clock  or  at  seven  and 
promised  that  all  would  be  admitted.  Men  went 


242     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

through  the  crowds  announcing  this  and  word  was 
sent  to  the  leaders  that  if  they  could  come  immediately 
to  the  tabernacle,  the  meeting  would  open  as  soon  as 
they  arrived. 

Many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  city  were  in  the  audi- 
ence, which  was  composed  largely  of  men.  Here  were 
people  who  were  anxious  to  listen  to  the  presentation 
of  the  claims  of  Christianity,  not  out  of  mere  curiosity, 
but  because  they  knew  the  worth  of  the  work  that  the 
Christian  leaders  had  accomplished.  Paul  thought  of 
his  father  and  Madeline  and  wished  that  they  might 
have  witnessed  this  vast  assembly,  for  he  felt  that  it 
would  change  their  whole  attitude  towards  him  and 
his  work.  He  thought  of  the  Stewarts,  too,  and  he 
knew  they  would  be  glad  when  they  heard  of  it.  Last 
of  all,  he  thought  of  Catherine  Williams.  He  knew 
that  her  work  had  helped  to  make  all  this  possible,  and 
that  she  would  delight  in  the  fact  that  it  had  actually 
come  to  pass.  As  he  looked  over  the  platform  and 
saw  the  rich  man  of  the  district,  the  scholars,  bankers 
and  merchants,  and  the  young  official  who  was  pre- 
siding with  face  aglow,  he  said  to  himself :  "  Truly, 
the  hour  for  which  we  have  hoped  and  prayed  has 
come." 

One  of  the  young  Chinese  was  a  splendid  singer, 
but  it  was  amusing,  and  yet  pathetic,  to  hear  the  at- 
tempt he  made  to  lead  that  great  assembly  of  men, 
untrained  in  Christian  hymnology.  Yet  in  a  faithful 
attempt  they  sang,  with  only  a  slight  resemblance  to 
the  tune,  the  simple  air,  "  Jesus  Loves  Me,"  in  a  lusty 
manner. 


THE  FRUITAGE  OF  FORMER  WORK  243 

In  the  midst  of  it  all  Paul  seemed  to  see  the  face  of 
his  dead  friend.  The  vision  had  been  with  him  con- 
stantly during  the  past  few  days.  "  What  real  joy 
this  would  have  brought  to  the  heart  of  Chu,"  he  said 
to  himself. 

The  speeches  of  the  young  official  and  others  were 
complimentary.  Then  followed  two  or  three  Chinese 
who  emphasized,  though  rather  hesitatingly,  some  of 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  Last  of  all  came  Dr. 
Means.  The  doctor  was  very  felicitous  in  what  he  had 
to  say.  He  dealt  with  the  principles  of  government 
and  of  individual  living,  from  the  standpoint  of  Chris- 
tianity. Men  who  had  listened  politely  before,  now 
leaned  forward  in  their  seats  as  this  veteran  of  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  poured  out  his  heart  to  them.  The 
doctor  talked  for  nearly  an  hour  and  a  half,  during 
which  time  the  audience  listened  with  strained  interest. 
He  outlined  the  work  that  the  great  teachers  of  China 
had  attempted  to  do,  and  showed  them  that  devil- 
worship  was  out  of  harmony  with  the  teaching  of  men 
like  Confucius  and  Mencius.  He  explained  to  them 
what  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  would  do  for  China 
in  an  hour  like  the  one  at  hand,  and  held  the  audience 
breathless  when  he  coupled  Christ  and  Confucius  to- 
gether. They  beheld  visions  such  as  they  had  never 
dreamed. 

Paul  did  not  speak  at  the  first  meeting.  The  taber- 
nacle was  refilled  at  five  o'clock  and  again  at  seven. 
Many  stayed  on  for  the  three  services,  and  the  crowds 
that  came  that  first  day  were  not  exceptional.  The 
meetings  continued,  and  the  talks  grew  more  and  more 


244  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

intimate  in  dealing  with  the  problems  of  Christianity. 
Yet  this  great  concourse  of  people  were  not  present 
because  they  wanted  to  become  Christians.  They  were 
beginning  to  realize  that  a  change  had  come  over  China 
and  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  they  would  be 
forced  to  change  their  attitude  toward  religion  and 
life. 

Among  those  who  were  laboring  for  this  cause  was 
the  hilltop  priest.  Some  of  the  leaders  doubted  the 
wisdom  of  letting  him  testify,  but  when  he  stood  up 
in  a  garb  other  than  the  gray  habit  of  his  priesthood, 
and  told  the  people  why  he  had  turned  from  Buddhism 
to  Christianity,  they  listened  attentively.  It  was  not 
easy  for  him  to  do  this,  for  secret  attempts  had  been 
made  on  his  life.  The  revolution  had  not  banished 
the  enemies  among  the  opium  dealers  and  priests,  and 
even  during  the  meetings  there  were  constant  signs 
of  sinister  influences  at  work. 

Paul  wondered  what  would  be  the  result  of  these 
meetings.  He  felt  it  would  be  unwise  to  call  for 
adherents  to  Christianity,  as  many  might  then  be 
received  into  the  church  who  might  not  understand  the 
full  meaning  of  their  action.  He  also  wanted  to  avoid 
receiving  those  who  might  come  through  insincere 
motives. 

The  last  night  of  the  meeting  arrived.  Several 
hundred  young  men,  most  of  them  from  government 
schools,  had  signed  cards  designating  their  desire  to 
study  Christianity.  Dr.  Means  had  returned  to  his 
home  and  Paul  was  conducting  the  meetings.  The 
young  official,  who  had  presided  at  every  meeting,  even 


THE  FRUITAGE  OF  FORMER  WORK   245 

when  they  were  holding  three  a  day,  was  also  present. 
Paul  turned  to  him  and  said  in  English,  which  he  un- 
derstood : 

"  My  friend,  there  are  those  present  that  are  perhaps 
not  ready  to  accept  Jesus  Christ,  but  why  will  you  not 
acknowledge  Him  ?  " 

The  young  official  hesitated  a  moment  and  then 
replied  in  the  words  of  Agrippa,  "  Almost  thou  per- 
suadest  me." 

Paul  smiled. 

"  I  wish  I  might  entirely." 

"  You  have,  and  I  will  accept  Him." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  will  do  it  now  before  all 
of  these  people?" 

"  I  do." 

Paul  called  the  audience  to  silence. 

"  Friends,"  he  said,  "  we  have  invited  a  great  many 
of  you  to  study  Christianity,  but  we  have  not  asked 
you  to  accept  it  because  we  feel  you  do  not  know  it 
sufficiently.  But  here  is  a  man  who  has  studied  Chris- 
tianity thoroughly,  and  I  have  asked  him  to  speak  to 
you." 

When  he  turned  to  the  young  official,  a  ripple  of  ap- 
plause, unusual  among  the  Chinese,  came  from  the 
great  audience. 

"Friends,"  he  said,  "I  am  going  to  follow  Christ 
and  obey  His  commands." 

The  men  on  the  platform  urged  him  to  repeat  his 
statement. 

"  I  am  a  Christian,"  he  repeated,  "  I  have  accepted 
Christianity." 


246     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

The  audience  burst  into  cheers,  but  Paul  sought  to 
quiet  them. 

"  This  is  not  the  time  for  noisy  demonstration,"  he 
said.  "  It  is  the  time  for  deep  thanksgiving  to  God, 
and  a  recognition  of  our  own  responsibility." 

The  young  official  continued  speaking,  particularly 
to  the  young  men.  He  reviewed  their  hopes  and  am- 
bitions for  China,  and  showed  them  how  useless  all 
that  had  occurred  would  be  if  they  lived  a  thoughtless 
and  insincere  life.  If  the  revolution  was  to  succeed, 
he  said,  there  should  be  an  adequate  ethical  basis,  and 
that  basis  was  to  be  found  only  in  Christ  and  in  His 
teaching. 

The  meetings  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the 
whole  city  and  district.  As  nearly  a  thousand  cards 
had  been  signed,  Paul  was  anxious  to  see  how  many 
of  those  who  promised  to  study  the  Bible  would  put 
in  an  appearance.  He  felt  that  many  of  these  cards 
had  been  signed  hastily  and  without  mature  thought. 
So  he  decided  not  to  hold  the  first  meeting  in  the 
tabernacle,  but  the  official  wisely  persuaded  him  other- 
wise, urging  that  a  great  many  of  the  inquirers  would 
bring  other  young  men,  who,  while  they  had  not 
signed  cards,  would  be  willing  to  enter  the  class.  And 
this  turned  out  to  be  the  case. 

Paul  outlined  a  course  of  twenty  studies,  dealing 
with  the  fundamentals  of  religion  and  morality,  and 
told  them  what  he  wanted  to  do  and  how  he  was  plan- 
ning to  do  it,  and  was  amazed  at  the  response.  He 
made  it  clear  to  them  that  none  of  them  were  going 
to  be  unduly  persuaded  to  adopt  Christianity;  that 


THE  FRUITAGE  OF  FORMER  WORK 

first  of  all  they  were  to  be  given  ample  opportunity  to 
study  its  teachings. 

"  You  know,  men,"  he  said,  "  we  have  been  doing 
things  for  the  uplift  of  the  city.  This  we  shall  con- 
tinue to  do.  Along  with  our  study  of  the  Bible  we 
must  seek  to  make  the  city  cleaner  and  better." 

This  statement  appealed  to  the  best  instincts  of  his 
hearers.  Yet  he  felt  sure  nevertheless  that  the  show- 
ing of  this  new  spirit  would  lead  the  traffickers  in 
opium,  who  had  been  ruined  as  a  result  of  the  anti- 
opium  propaganda,  and  the  Buddhist  priests,  who  were 
rendered  more  bitter  than  ever,  to  work  with  renewed 
energy  to  destroy  the  result  of  his  endeavors.  He  real- 
ized that  the  war  had  not  been  won — that  only  a  battle 
had  turned  in  favor  of  the  cause  which  he  represented, 
and  that  this  success  had  stirred  up  opposition  which, 
at  the  first  opportunity,  would  vent  itself  with  in- 
creased venom. 


XXXVI 
THE  FORELOPER'S  OPPORTUNITY 

EVERY  great  movement  has  its  problems,  and 
Paul  found  himself  facing  some  of  a  tremen- 
dous order.  Many  of  those  who  came  into  the 
church  came  from  selfish  motives.  This  state  of  af- 
fairs was  gradually  overcome  by  the  remonstrance  of 
Paul  and  the  Chinese  leaders,  so  that  it  soon  came  to 
be  generally  known  that  the  church  did  not  approve, 
but  rather  condemned,  the  acceptance  of  Christianity 
from  any  but  the  most  sincere  motive. 

The  young  magistrate  proved  to  be  of  great  help, 
and  became  one  of  the  leading  factors  in  a  period  of 
reconstruction  such  as  Paul  had  not  thought  possible. 
One  night  the  official  sent  for  Paul,  who,  on  reaching 
his  headquarters,  was  surprised  to  find  there  a  number 
of  visitors — men  who  were  strangers  to  him,  although 
he  knew  them  by  reputation. 

"  Mr.  Redmond,"  said  the  official,  "  we  are  very 
anxious  to  have  you  go  to  Nanking  to  help  our  govern- 
ment. Dr.  Means  is  just  now  helping  the  new  Presi- 
dent, who  has  come  out  from  England,  and  we  are 
selecting  a  few  friends  of  China  from  various  parts  of 
the  country,  who  can  assist  us  with  our  problems." 

Paul  urged  that  he  was  not  well  enough  versed  in 
the  principles  of  government  to  undertake  this  mis- 
sion, but  his  diffidence  was  finally  overcome,  and  he 

248 


THE   FORELOPER'S   OPPORTUNITY    249 

consented  to  go.  He  went  to  Nanking,  and  for  sev- 
eral weeks  was  in  daily  consultation  with  the  leaders, 
weighing  the  most  vital  governmental  issues.  His 
ability  in  organizing  proved  of  great  assistance  during 
this  most  trying  time  of  the  new  regime.  He  daily 
preached  the  doctrine  of  unselfishness,  and  impressed 
upon  the  leaders  that  if  ever  there  was  a  time  when 
they  must  stand  for  China  rather  than  for  themselves, 
it  was  the  present. 

He  recognized  the  opportunity  to  impress  on  the 
younger  generation  that  the  hope  of  any  country 
is  her  young  men  and  the  policies  they  adopt. 
Men  who  had  but  recently  graduated  from  college, 
without  any  thought  of  ever  holding  high  official  posi- 
tion, were  given  undreamed-of  opportunities  of  power 
and  influence.  He  minced  no  words  with  them,  but 
made  a  strong  appeal  in  telling  them  that  in  the  future 
the  nation  would  call  them  blessed  if  they  practised 
unselfishness  at  this  critical  time.  Many  of  the  men 
in  high  positions  cared  only  for  what  their  families 
might  benefit  from  their  power,  but  China  with  its  new 
ideals  repudiated  them. 

There  were  influences  in  the  new  administration 
which  Paul  recognized  as  sources  of  great  danger. 
The  hands  of  foreign  governments  were  always  in 
evidence.  He  had  sensed  this  in  the  past,  and  the  truth 
of  his  conviction  was  now  being  forced  upon  him.  Paul 
had  tried  to  believe  in  these  nations,  but  as  he  studied 
carefully  the  whole  history  of  their  dealing  with  China 
and  the  far  East,  he  became  convinced  that  here  was 
a  place  where  the  aims  and  ideals  of  the  new  govern- 


250     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

ment  might  meet  defeat,  and  that  the  greatest  caution 
must  be  observed.  Others  well  versed  in  affairs  of 
state  joined  Paul  in  denouncing  such  measures.  He 
urged  the  new  republic  not  to  show  preference  to  any 
nation,  and  made  it  clear  to  them  that  it  would  be  dis- 
astrous to  do  so.  He  taught  the  leaders  the  doctrine 
of  peace,  and  urged  that  China  establish  herself  as  a 
nation  of  peace.  The  rebellion  had  succeeded  with  a 
minimum  amount  of  bloodshed.  Never  before,  in  the 
history  of  the  world,  had  a  change  of  this  nature,  affect- 
ing so  many  people,  been  accomplished  with  so  small 
an  amount  of  slaughter.  In  most  instances  the  leaders 
had  been  extremely  humane,  and  Paul  hoped  they 
would  demonstrate  to  the  world  that  a  large  arma- 
ment was  unnecessary. 

"  But,"  he  said,  "  if  you  begin  now  to  show  prefer- 
ence, or  to  give  concessions,  to  any  nation,  serious 
trouble  will  result,  which  might  end  in  the  overthrow 
of  your  government  and  even  bring  about  a  world 
war." 

He  counseled  extreme  moderation  in  the  form  that 
the  government  should  take,  for  he  realized  that  if  the 
change  from  the  old  system  was  too  radical  the  pendu- 
lum would  sometime  swing  back,  and  he  was  anxious 
that  this  should  be  avoided.  A  few  of  the  leaders, 
however,  had  seen  the  vision  of  liberty  and  had  heard 
the  voice  of  the  people,  and  this  led  them  to  a  position 
which  was  eventually  to  become  untenable. 

His  was  not  the  only  word  of  warning.  He  was 
supported  by  all  of  the  missionaries,  and  the  Chinese 
of  the  most  advanced  thought.  One  of  the  foreign 


THE   FORELOPER'S   OPPORTUNITY    251 

officials,  who  knew  of  his  attitude,  tried  to  convince 
him  that  their  position  was  applying  the  principle  of 
the  Monroe  doctrine. 

"  The  Monroe  doctrine  is  protective  and  unselfish," 
returned  Paul,  "  if  it  be  carried  out  consistently." 

He  regretted  that  he  was  compelled  to  be  away  so 
long  from  Fou  Cheo,  but  felt  that  in  doing  this  larger 
service  for  China  he  was  also  serving  his  city. 

He  made  a  very  decided  impression  upon  all  of  the 
officials  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  insisted 
that  they  should  be  paid  salaries,  and  that  the  regime 
of  graft  which  pertained  to  the  old  officialdom  should 
be  entirely  wiped  out;  that  there  should  be  a  new 
attitude  toward  the  whole  question  of  money.  He  was 
emphatically  opposed  to  the  so-called  "  squeeze  "  which 
the  old  officials  had  worked  so  effectively,  and  every 
friend  of  China  agreed  with  him.  He  planned  with 
them  to  inaugurate  a  just  system  of  taxation,  and  be- 
lieved that  when  this  should  be  once  thoroughly  incor- 
porated, many  of  the  previously  existing  evils  would  be 
eliminated. 

He  constantly  urged  the  establishment  of  an  ade- 
quate educational  system,  and  pointed  out  to  the 
officials  that  while  it  was  true  that  the  Manchus  had 
done  away  with  the  old  form  of  education,  a  new  one 
must  be  inaugurated.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  show 
the  weaknesses  of  the  past,  and  told  them  that  if  the 
old  evils  were  to  continue  it  would  have  been  better 
to  have  had  no  change. 

The  officials  were  profuse  in  their  promises  and 
declared  that  the  revolution  stood  for  new  and  definite 


252     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

principles  and  ideals  which  stood  for  equity  and  right- 
eous government.  Their  personal  attitude  to  himself, 
too,  was  gratifying  in  the  extreme.  It  betokened  their 
possession  of  a  spirit  of  openmindedness  and  tolera- 
tion together  with  a  certain  cessation  of  that  deeply- 
rooted  suspicion  with  which  the  Chinese  are  wont  to 
regard  workers  and  reformers  from  other  lands. 

Thus  this  young  man  found  the  hearts  of  men  open- 
ing to  him,  and  as  he  entered  therein,  found  possibili- 
ties of  which  he  had  never  dreamed. 


XXXVII 

THE  LAST  VOYAGE 

THE  river  swirled  and  eddied  about  the  hulk  as 
the  old  captain's  steamer  was  being  made  fast 
at  Nanking.    It  was  a  difficult  landing,  but  un- 
der the  old  man's  curt  orders  it  was  at  last  accom- 
plished, and  Paul  went  aboard  to  greet  his  friend. 
Captain  Jenkins  was  delighted  to  see  him.     He  had 
heard  of  the  part  Paul  had  played  in  the  revolution, 
and  he  was  happy  that  his  young  friend  had  proved 
his  leadership,  and  was  justifying  all  that  he  had 
claimed  for  him. 

Paul,  on  the  other  hand,  looked  at  his  friend  with 
real  concern,  for  the  old  man  had  aged  a  great  deal 
since  the  time  of  the  attempted  destruction  of  the  dike. 
The  strain  of  the  years  was  telling  on  him.  Just  be- 
fore Paul  came  aboard,  the  steward  had  taken  his 
luggage  to  one  of  the  steamer's  cabins,  and  the  old 
man  was  raging — reading  the  titles  of  all  the  poor 
fellow's  ancestry  way  back  beyond  the  Ming  dynasty, 
simply  because  he  did  not  know  that  this  young  man 
was  always  to  be  his  personal  guest. 

June  was  at  hand  and  there  was  already  an  indica- 
tion of  approaching  heat.  Paul  was  enjoying  free- 
dom and  rest  after  the  strenuous  work  he  had  gone 
through  and  at  the  first  meal  he  ate  rather  heartily. 

"  Boy,"   cautioned   Captain  Jenkins,   "  be  careful. 
253 


254  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

One  of  the  down  steamers  yesterday  carried  a  case  of 
cholera.  Somehow  or  other  it  is  creeping  in  here.  We 
can't  control  it.  I  hear  that  farther  up  the  river  a 
great  many  Chinese  have  already  died,  so  you  must 
be  careful.  I  wouldn't  want  anything  to  happen  to 
you  while  you  are  on  this  old  tub." 

"  But,  captain,  you  eat  everything,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  it's  different  with  me.  And  yet  even  I 
am  careful.  I  don't  fool  with  these  things.  I  know 
when  there's  danger.  Cholera  is  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons. It  reaches  out  and  digs  its  fangs  into  the  one 
least  expectin'  it.  The  good  men  who  have  gone  across 
the  river  on  that  cholera  boat  are  almost  innumerable. 
For  fifty  years  I  have  seen  them,  white  and  yellow, 
pass  away  in  the  summer,  and  no  one  seems  to  know 
just  the  reason  of  their  going,  nor  the  manner  of  it." 

At  the  captain's  request,  Paul  related  all  the  details 
of  his  part  in  the  rebellion.  As  he  paced  up  and  down 
in  front  of  him  on  the  deck  that  night,  the  old  man 
rubbed  his  hands  together  and  chuckled  with  great 
delight. 

"  Ah,  son,  that  old  daddy  of  yours  never  did  a  bigger 
piece  of  work  than  this.  When  he  hears  how  you  are 
dippin'  into  the  affairs  of  that  province  up  there  and 
changing'  the  whole  order  of  things,  I  feel  pretty  sure 
he  will  want  to  have  a  big  part  in  all  that  you  are 
doin'.  It's  great  to  know  that  you  are  showin'  your 
blood  and  that  the  good  God  is  usin'  you  in  the  way  He 
is.  You  notice  what  I  say,  boy.  Ah,  there's  no  one  who 
knows  the  hand  of  Providence  better  than  an  old  fellow 
who  has  knocked  about  the  seas  of  the  world  most 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE  255 

of  his  life.  You're  not  the  only  one  cloin'  a  great 
work  in  these  days.  I  carry  men  up  and  down  here, 
young  and  old.  They're  puttin'  their  stamp  on  China 
for  always."  Then  after  a  short  pause  he  went  on: 
"  Lad,  I  don't  know  why,  but  I'm  goin'  to  tell  you 
somethin'.  I  feel  about  you  as  I'd  feel  about  a  son  of 
my  own.  Of  course  you  know  that  I  can't  do  any 
of  this  adoptin'  business,  except  as  I  do  it  in  my  own 
heart.  It  may  surprise  you  to  learn  that  I'm  a  senti- 
mental old  cuss." 

Paul  smiled. 

"  Captain,"  he  said,  "  you  have  a  great  deal  of  senti- 
ment about  you.  I  have  never  known  a  man  to  have 
more.  I  appreciate  the  feeling  you  have  in  your  heart 
for  me,  and  I  am  mighty  glad  you  have  it." 

"  Well,  here's  what  I'm  goin'  to  tell  you :  I  haven't 
saved  much  money,  but  I've  saved  a  little.  I  don't 
know  what  to  do  with  it.  I've  got  a  few  relatives 
who  don't  care  a  continental  damn  for  me,  and  never 
have.  Well,  I've  left  them  a  few  hundred  dollars 
apiece,  and  every  greasy  dollar  of  the  rest  I  want  you 
to  have.  I  want  you  to  build  a  house  up  there  fit  for 
a  white  man  to  live  in,  but  I  don't  want  you  to  build 
anything  that  has  my  name  on  it.  After  I'm  gone, 
when  you  go  in  and  out  of  that  house  after  long,  hard 
days,  I  want  you  to  remember  that  somewhere  there 
is  an  old  man  whose  life  you  blessed  at  the  last,  and 
who  is  glad  that  the  tides  swept  you  across  his  bow 
before  he  died." 

As  the  old  man  finished  there  were  tears  in  his 
eyes.  He  hurriedly  wiped  them  away,  saying :  "  I 


256     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

don't  know  where  in  hell  I  got  this  cold.  Makes  my 
eyes  water." 

Paul  was  greatly  affected,  and  protested  against 
taking  anything  from  him. 

"By  gad,  what  do  you  want  me  to  do  with  it?" 
old  Jenkins  raved.  "  Do  you  want  me  to  marry  some 
of  these  hussies  that  are  after  me  ?  No,  son,  it's  yours, 
and  as  much  as  music  can  ever  strike  the  strings  of 
an  old  dried-up  heart  like  mine,  it's  been  doin'  it  ever 
since  the  day  I  decided  to  do  this  thing  for  you." 

They  were  like  father  and  son  during  the  remainder 
of  the  journey.  Paul  had  often  longed  for  the  love 
of  such  a  man  as  he,  especially  since  his  separation 
from  his  father. 

While  the  boat  was  anchored  at  Hankow,  they 
strolled  about  the  city.  It  had  become  intensely  hot 
and  suffocating  in  the  humid  and  steaming  atmosphere 
that  came  from  river  and  valley.  When  they  left 
Hankow  that  night  the  captain's  orders  were  sharper 
than  ever.  He  was  still  stamping  and  storming  about 
when  they  passed  Kiukiang,  damning  everybody  and 
everything  in  general.  For  the  first  time  he  displayed 
his  irritation  in  talking  to  Paul,  who  paid  no  attention 
to  it,  believing  that  the  old  man  was  not  well,  as  a 
result  of  the  intense  heat.  He  retired  early,  leaving 
Paul  on  the  deck  watching  the  play  of  the  swift- 
flowing  waters  in  the  moonlight.  Paul  retired  soon 
after,  but  was  suddenly  awakened  by  the  chief  officer 
calling  him  to  the  captain,  who  was  ill.  He  found  the 
old  man  very  ill.  He  saw  the  whiteness  of  his  cheek, 
and  a  great  dread  came  over  him.  When  the  officer, 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE  257 

who  came  at  his  call,  looked  upon  the  captain,  his  face 
blanched. 

"  My  God,  how  could  this  have  happened  ?  "  was  all 
he  said. 

"  It  must  be  an  attack  of  indigestion,"  suggested 
Paul. 

The  officer  motioned  him  to  the  door,  and  when  they 
were  out  of  hearing  distance,  he  said :  "  It's  far 
worse  than  indigestion,  sir.  It's  cholera." 

They  gave  the  captain  such  remedies  as  they  had 
at  their  command,  but  age  and  a  debilitated  condition 
were  against  him.  After  a  brief  conference,  they  de- 
cided to  go  on  to  the  nearest  hospital.  The  ship  was 
put  full  steam  ahead  as  they  went  forward  in  the 
night.  Meanwhile  they  did  everything  in  their  power 
to  relieve  the  old  man,  but  he  grew  steadily  worse. 
He  looked  into  Paul's  face  and  said :  "  Don't  worry, 
lad,  you  haven't  told  me  what  I've  got,  but  I  know. 
I  had  it  once  before,  when  I  was  a  young  man.  My 
constitution  was  like  iron  then.  I'm  afraid  I  can't 
fight  it  now,  but  don't  you  worry.  I've  only  one 
request  to  make,  and  that  is  that  you'll  not  leave  me 
while  this  thing  is  on.  Stay  with  me,  boy,  for  if  the 
great  Captain  should  order  me  to  take  the  long  voyage, 
I  want  you  by  to  wave  the  last  farewell." 

Paul  tried  to  assure  him  that  this  need  not  be  the 
end ;  that  even  though  he  had  cholera  he  was  sure  they 
could  save  him.  Before  daybreak  they  came  to  the 
hospital.  The  whistles  were  blown  to  awaken  the 
doctor  and  almost  instantly  lights  appeared  in  his 
house.  He  knew  that  only  the  unusual  could  bring  the 


258      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

steamer  to  anchor  directly  in  front  of  the  hospital. 
Boats  were  put  off  and  Paul  carried  the  captain  in 
his  strong  arms  down  the  plank,  resting  his  head  on 
his  shoulder.  It  was  a  battle  indeed.  The  doctor  used 
every  modern  method  for  the  treatment  of  the  disease, 
but  there  was  little  response.  The  captain  was  uncon- 
scious during  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  but  finally 
the  signs  of  the  disease  seemed  to  disappear  and  he 
became  semi-conscious. 

Paul  saw  his  lips  moving  and  as  he  bent  over  him, 
he  heard  him  say :  "  Yes,  little  girl,  I  must  follow  the 
star  out  yonder.  The  whisper  and  the  song  of  the 
ocean  are  in  my  heart.  You'll  come,  won't  you? 
You'll  follow  the  star  with  me?  Ah,  I  knew  you'd 
come ! " 

Then  his  eyes  wandered  to  Paul's  face. 

"  Boy,"  he  whispered,  "  did  you  hear  the  news  ? 
The  little  girl  has  heard  the  call  of  the  ocean,  too,  and 
she's  comin'  with  me.  I've  waited  a  long  time,  but  I 
knew  she'd  come." 

Then  he  was  silent  for  a  moment,  lying  with  closed 
eyes. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  he  broke  out  again,  "  I've  got  the 
orders,  I'm  ready  to  sail.  Aye,  aye,  sir,  let  go  the 
cables,  she's  slippin' — now  she's  clear.  Full  steam 
ahead." 

His  eyes  opened,  and  he  smiled  up  into  Paul's  face. 

"  Well,  son,"  he  said  faintly.  "  Come  to  see  me 
off?  That's  good  of  you,  boy." 

A  great  silence  followed.  Old  Captain  Jenkins  had 
fared  forth  on  his  long,  last  voyage. 


XXXVIII 
DECISIONS  RECONSIDERED 

WHILE  eternal  tides  were  carrying  the  old 
captain  out  of  Paul's  life,  they  were  also 
bearing  into  his  life  one  who  had  drifted 
away. 

After  Madeline's  talk  with  Catherine  and  Frances 
she  was  torn  by  conflicting  emotions.  She  felt 
that  she  had  forfeited  Paul's  love,  and  was  afraid  she 
would  be  called  upon  to  endure  the  penalty.  She  had 
been  very  frank  with  the  two  girls,  and  her  manner 
had  lost  much  of  the  intolerance  that  had  characterized 
it  during  the  first  years  of  her  estrangement  from  Paul. 
In  one  of  their  talks  Catherine  told  her  that  she  had 
kissed  Paul  while  he  was  delirious,  and  she  had  lis- 
tened with  practically  no  emotion,  and  had  thanked 
her  when  she  learned  that  Paul  had  been  quieted  by 
her  kiss. 

All  this  only  made  Madeline's  problem  more  diffi- 
cult. How  could  she  tell  Paul  that  she  knew  all  that 
had  happened?  Besides  she  did  not  want  to  involve 
Catherine,  yet  she  wanted  to  tell  him  and  felt  that  she 
must  do  so. 

Madeline  had  rather  avoided  Mr.  Redmond,  but  she 
decided  to  go  to  him  now.  Paul's  father  smiled  when 

she  entered  his  office. 

269 


260     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  Well,  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  I  suppose  you  have 
come  to  tell  me  that  you  have  learned  the  truth." 

The  girl  looked  up  quickly  into  her  questioner's 
face. 

"  Have  you  learned  it,  too  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  have  known  it  for  months,"  he  answered. 

"  Then  why  haven't  you  told  me,  and  why  haven't 
we  forgiven  him  ?  " 

"  There  was  nothing  for  me  to  forgive — I  never 
believed  the  story,"  said  Mr.  Redmond.  "  I  knew  all 
the  time  that  the  boy  had  done  nothing  wrong,  that 
this  rumor  was  doing  him  a  serious  injustice.  Made- 
line, I  have  but  one  object  now,  and  that  is  to  make 
Paul  yield,  and  as  long  as  you  are  in  this  country,  and 
as  long  as  he  is  unmarried,  my  chances  are  greatly 
increased." 

Madeline  was  indignant.  She  felt  that  Mr.  Red- 
mond had  not  been  fair  with  her. 

"  I  came  to  tell  you,"  she  said,  "  that  I  am  going  to 
write  him  today  that  I  will  go  out  to  him." 

"  Have  you  ever  thought,  Madeline,"  Redmond  re- 
turned, "  of  how  grievously  you  have  wounded  him, 
that  perhaps  he  will  not  marry  you  now?  He  is 
proud.  He  comes  from  a  race  of  proud  men,  and  you 
have  done  him  a  tremendous  injustice.  You  may  be 
humiliating  yourself  in  writing  him.  How  would  you 
feel  if  he  should  tell  you  not  to  come  after  you  have 
yielded?" 

Redmond  commenced  by  appealing  to  her  pride; 
now  he  was  appealing  to  her  prejudices. 

"  I  have  decided  that  I  can  never  leave  my  wealth 


DECISIONS  RECONSIDERED  261 

to  Paul  as  long  as  he  continues  to  live  in  China,"  he 
continued  decisively.  "  If  you  should  yield,  I  know 
he  will  never  return;  and  think  of  what  he  could  really 
do  for  China  if  he  would  come  home  and  apply  him- 
self to  my  business  and  send  other  men  out  there!  He 
looks  at  this  whole  thing  in  the  wrong  way.  He  has 
a  foolish  notion  that  he  must  give  himself.  Would 
it  not  be  a  great  deal  better  for  you  to  help  me  in  my 
plan  to  get  him  to  return  home,  than  for  you  to  go  to 
him  and  thus  rob  him  of  his  fortune  ? 

"  Madeline,"  he  went  on  with  apparent  earnestness, 
"  I  have  never  pleaded  for  myself.  But  an  old  man, 
at  the  end  of  his  life,  has  but  two  things  left — his 
family,  and  the  future  of  his  work.  I  have  only  Paul, 
and  I  want  him.  I  know  I  allowed  my  business  to 
interfere  with  our  companionship,  but  he  was  a  lad, 
then.  Now  he  is  a  man — a  far  better  man  than  I, 
because  he  has  the  blood  and  the  heart  of  the  woman 
who  bore  him.  Can't  you  understand  how  I  need  him  ? 
Then  there  is  my  business,  and  he  alone  can  carry  out 
the  purposes  I  have  for  it.  It  is  with  great  sorrow 
that  I  contemplate  someone,  other  than  one  of  my  own 
race,  directing  it." 

Redmond  could  not  have  been  more  subtle  in  his 
method.  He  also  suggested  to  Madeline  that  which 
a  woman  resents — that  she  had  been  the  cause  of  Paul's 
making  an  unusual  sacrifice.  Then,  too,  the  plea  for 
himself  had  touched  her.  She  impetuously  reached 
out  her  hands. 

"  Oh,  I  know  how  you  must  need  him,"  she  said, 
"  and  desiring  him  in  that  way,  can't  you  see  how  / 


262     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

want  him?  But  I  am  more  fortunate  than  you,"  she 
added  with  a  smile,  "  for  I  can  go  to  him  and  be 
with  him  always." 

The  girl  made  no  promise  to  Paul's  father  and  he 
exacted  none.  He  knew  it  would  be  unwise  to  try  to 
force  her  to  a  decision,  for  a  woman  in  Madeline's 
frame  of  mind  might  go  to  any  length  for  the  man  she 
loved. 

When  she  returned  home  she  went  at  once  to  Cath- 
erine and  told  her  what  Mr.  Redmond  had  said.  Cath- 
erine showed  an  unexpected  bitterness. 

"  Madeline,"  she  said,  "  most  parents,  even  though 
habitually  kind  and  tolerant,  are  at  times  very  unjust. 
You  must  live  your  own  life,  as  must  Paul,  and  you 
must  not  let  his  father  influence  you.  I  have  kept  you 
from  writing  to  Paul  because  I  have  been  a  little  afraid 
of  what  he  might  think  of  my  telling  you  all  I  have 
told,  but  now  let  me  urge  you  to  write  to  him.  I 
want  you  to  go  to  him,  for  I  know  he  still 
wants  you.  You  have  asked  me  whether  I 
thought  there  was  any  bitterness  in  his  heart  towards 
you.  I  do  not  know.  Paul  Redmond  is  the  kind  of 
a  man  who  would  not  talk  to  one  woman  about  another. 
But  this  I  know,  unless  you  write  him  and  make  it 
plain  to  him  how  you  now  feel,  your  paths  will  never 
cross  again." 

Madeline  wrote  many  letters  which  were  never 
posted.  Each  time  she  tried  to  express  her  feeling, 
she  failed.  At  last  she  wrote  a  letter  which  she  read 
to  Catherine,  who  listened  in  silence.  Madeline  could 
see  that  she  did  not  like  it. 


DECISIONS  RECONSIDERED  268 

"  It  doesn't  please  you,  does  it,  Catherine? "  she 
asked. 

"  I  think  I  ought  to  tell  you,  Madeline,"  answered 
the  other,  "  that  I  believe  that  after  what  has  hap- 
pened that  letter  will  never  win  Paul.  You  seek  to 
justify  yourself.  Yet,  honestly,  do  you  really  think 
there  is  any  justification  for  your  attitude,  when  you 
consider  how  long  you  have  known  him  ?  " 

After  Catherine  had  shown  her  how  utterly  wrong 
she  had  been,  she  wrote  a  letter  in  which  she  asked 
forgiveness,  and  in  which  she  told  Paul  that  she 
trusted  him  absolutely.  She  did  not  say  what  her 
intentions  were,  or  whether  she  was  willing  to  marry 
him,  nor  did  she  intimate  her  future  course.  She  only 
begged  forgiveness.  She  praised  Catherine  and  made 
him  understand  how  helpful  she  had  been. 

When  Paul  received  this  letter  he  had  already  heard 
of  Madeline's  illness.  He  did  not  know  that  Catherine 
had  nursed  her,  nor  did  he  know  that  these  two  girls 
who  had  such  an  important  part  in  his  life  had  become 
friends.  He  was  back  in  Fou  Cheo  when  the  letter 
reached  him,  and  he  thought  of  it  constantly.  He 
knew  that  Madeline  would  not  have  written  had  she 
not  meant  to  convey  to  him  that  her  coming  would  be 
on  the  old  basis,  that  he  must  eventually  return  with 
her  to  the  States.  He  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
perhaps  after  all  it  was  well  that  they  had  not  married, 
if  this  difference  were  still  between  them.  He  did  not 
answer  her  letter  without  deliberate  thought.  He  pon- 
dered over  every  word  and  every  line  of  it,  seeking  to 
understand  her  real  meaning  and  searching  for  an 


964.  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

expression  indicating  her  willingness  to  go  to  him 
and  follow  him  to  the  trail's  end.  There  was  not  a 
word  which  might  be  understood  to  indicate  this. 
Her  letter  rekindled  his  love  for  her,  and  he  stood 
before  her  picture  and  recalled  her  as  he  had  seen 
her  so  many  times.  He  had  idolized  her,  and  his 
love  had  increased  rather  than  decreased  with  the 
lonely  years.  As  he  faced  the  whole  future  with  the 
letter  before  him,  there  was  one  conviction  that  was 
not  to  be  ignored.  Madeline  had  not  asked  for  for- 
giveness and  had  not  expressed  a  single  feeling  of  trust 
until  she  had  heard  the  story  from  Catherine.  That 
which  had  been  between  them  had  not  been  removed. 
His  father  had  been  correct  in  his  intimation  to  Made- 
line that  perhaps  Paul,  while  granting  her  forgive- 
ness, would  not  find  it  easy  to  forget. 

"  I  have  forgiven  her,  but  she  did  not  forgive  me 
until  she  knew  all  of  the  facts,"  he  said  to  himself 
again  and  again.  "  The  basis  of  trust  which  is  so  es- 
sential to  a  happy  marriage  does  not  exist  between  us." 

He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  his  lot  to  go 
to  the  end  of  the  trail  alone.  After  reaching  this 
decision  he  canvassed  the  work  that  he  had  to  do.  He 
considered  carefully  his  relation  to  the  revolution  and 
studied  the  demands  that  would  be  made  upon  him. 

Paul  was  a  man  of  action,  and  often  expressed 
himself  bluntly  and  directly.  He  tried  to  soften  the 
letter  that  he  wrote  to  Madeline,  for  he  did  not  want 
to  hurt  her.  He  wanted,  if  possible,  to  show  her  the 
love  that  he  felt  for  her,  but  he  also  wanted  her  to 
understand  how  impossible  it  was  for  him  to  consider 


DECISIONS  RECONSIDERED  «65 

giving  up  his  work  and  going  back  to  her.  It  was  a 
long  letter  and  portrayed  the  mind  and  heart  of  a 
strong  man. 

He  wrote,  in  part : 

"  Your  letter  brought  to  my  heart  the  quiet  and 
peace  that  it  has  been  seeking  for  years.  You  cannot 
know  how  I  have  yearned  for  the  knowledge  that  you 
now  understand.  I  have  wanted  to  feel  that  even 
though  our  lives  should  not  be  joined,  we  should  al- 
ways be  friends  and  lovers.  As  it  was  before,  we 
could  not  even  have  been  friends,  but  now  that  you 
write  in  the  way  you  do,  everything  is  changed.  For- 
give you?  Yes,  Madeline,  a  thousand  times,  but  oh 
that  you  had  written  me  before  you  knew  all. 

"  I  have  tried  to  understand  your  letter,  but  I  have 
not  been  able  to  find  your  real  meaning;  nor  can  I 
believe  that  you  are  going  to  come  to  me  and  remain 
here  loving  me  and  my  work.  I  wish  that  somehow, 
tonight,  you  could  see  into  the  innermost  recesses  of 
my  heart.  I  wish  you  might  know  the  yearning  I  have 
for  you.  But,  Madeline,  I  cannot  love  you  aside  from 
my  work.  No  man's  love  can  be  utterly  personal.  I 
hope  you  will  forgive  me,  dear,  when  I  say  that  a 
woman's  love  is  always  a  little  selfish  and  a  little  per- 
sonal. When  a  man  loves  a  woman  he  cannot  give 
up  his  life's  work  for  her,  for  his  love  for  her  includes 
her  relation  to  his  work  and  his  life.  Oh,  I  wish  you 
could  know  how  I  have  dreamed  of  you  as  a  part  of 
my  life  here.  You  are  staying  at  home  because  you 
think  the  work  is  bigger  there,  and  I  am  not  arguing 


266     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

this  now.  I  only  know  that  somehow  this  has  gripped 
my  imagination  and  my  life,  and  I  feel  that  if  you 
come  it  must  be  for  all  time,  for  there  is  not  the  re- 
motest chance  in  the  world  that  I  shall  ever  do  other 
than  follow  to  the  trail's  end.  Neither  of  us  must 
ever  give  in  until  our  ideals  are  the  same.  A  man 
and  woman  who  look  upon  life  differently  may  love 
but  should  never  marry. 

"  And  so,  dear  heart,  longing  for  you,  suffering  be- 
cause you  are  not  here,  I  must  put  the  dream  of  my 
youth  from  me  and  continue  along  this  path." 

There  were  many  other  things  that  Paul  wrote  her. 
He  tried  to  soften  his  message,  but  truth  may  be 
couched  in  the  politest  language  and  covered  with  the 
softest  mantle  of  love,  yet  it  must  of  necessity  carry 
its  message  of  sorrow.  Paul  sent  this  letter  with  no 
hope  in  his  heart,  believing  that  it  would  end  their 
relationship.  With  a  heavy  heart  he  handed  it  to  the 
Chinese  postman,  and  as  he  turned  back  into  his  room 
said :  "  This  is  the  end.  The  trails  lie  far  apart — they 
will  never  meet  again." 


XXXIX 
FACING  THE  END 

BEFORE    Paul's   letter   reached   Madeline,    Dr. 
Blackburn  had  called  her  over  the  telephone. 

"  I  want  to  ask  two  favors,"  he  said.  "  I 
want  Catherine  Williams  and  I  want  you.  Mr.  Red- 
mond is  ill.  I  do  not  want  you  to  nurse  him,  but  I 
want  you  to  look  after  his  barn  of  a  house.  When 
I  go  there  I  feel  as  though  I  am  in  a  business  office. 
That  house  hasn't  felt  the  touch  of  a  woman  for 
years.  I  want  Catherine  to  nurse  him." 

Madeline  said  at  once  that  she  would  do  as  Dr. 
Blackburn  asked,  "  but  I  cannot  answer  for  Cather- 
ine," she  added,  "  I  am  afraid  she  will  refuse  to  go. 
He  is  the  only  person  I  have  ever  heard  her  condemn, 
and  she  is  very  bitter  towards  him  because  of  his 
treatment  of  Paul.  Of  course,  she  has  never  seen 
him,  but  I  will  let  her  answer  for  herself." 

"  Call  her  to  the  'phone,"  said  Blackburn  brusquely. 

Madeline  called  Catherine,  who  took  the  receiver 
with  a  pleasant  "  good  morning."  For  some  time  she 
was  silent  and  Madeline  knew  that  the  doctor  was  not 
talking,  but  that  the  girl  was  thinking  deeply.  She 
saw  a  hard  line  creep  about  Catherine's  mouth  and 
heard  her  say  in  a  strained  voice :  "  Dr.  Blackburn, 
I  will  go  to  Mr.  Redmond  for  one  reason  only — be- 
cause I  believe  that  if  his  son  were  here,  he  would 

267 


268  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

want  me  to  go.  But  I  will  not  do  so,  until  you  tell  me 
that  you  have  told  him  who  I  am.  I  have  been  put 
into  an  awkward  position  for  the  last  time.  If,  after 
Mr.  Redmond  knows  who  I  am,  he  wants  me,  I  will 

go." 

Dr.  Blackburn  went  to  Paul's  father  at  once. 

"  Redmond,"  he  said,  "  you  are  a  sick  man.  I  am 
going  to  make  the  biggest  fight  that  was  ever  made, 
but  in  a  case  like  yours  the  care  you  receive  is  of 
greatest  importance.  You  must  have  a  good  nurse." 

"  Get  her,  no  matter  what  the  cost,"  growled  Mr. 
Redmond. 

"  I  have  her,  but  it  isn't  a  matter  of  money.  The 
woman  who  made  the  trouble  between  Madeline  and 
your  son,  and  who  afterwards  nursed  your  son,  is  in 
New  York.  She  is  the  best  person  I  know  to  nurse 
you  in  the  way  I  want  it  done.  I  believe  she  can  help 
pull  you  through,  but  when  I  called  her  this  morning 
she  refused  to  come  until  she  was  assured  that  you 
knew  who  she  was." 

"  You  are  the  doctor.  I'm  under  orders,"  returned 
Redmond.  "  When  I  submitted  myself  to  you  I  was 
willing  to  take  your  medicine,  and  do  what  you  ad- 
vised. I  wouldn't  call  her,  but  if  you  want  her  that 
settles  it." 

Dr.  Blackburn  called  up  Catherine. 

"  Mr.  Redmond  understands,"  he  said  briefly. 

"  Very  well.  I  will  come,  and  do  my  best,"  she 
answered. 

Madeline  went  to  Mr.  Redmond  at  once. 

"  I  have  come  to  take  charge  of  this  terrible  house," 


FACING  THE  END  269 

she  said,  "  and  I  am  going  to  stay  here  until  you  are 
well." 

"I  don't  want  you  around,"  he  answered  testily. 
"  Why  should  you  stay  here  ?  " 

Madeline  smiled. 

"  If  all  of  this  is  to  be  mine  some  day,"  she  said, 
"  I  want  to  get  used  to  it." 

Redmond  smiled  grimly. 

"  Well,  you  might  wait  at  least  until  I  am  dead," 
he  answered,  "  but  if  you  think  you  will  enjoy  messing 
around  here — go  ahead.  There's  a  nurse  coming  here 
whom  you  might  not  like  to  meet." 

Madeline  laughed. 

"  Don't  you  know  that  she  is  my  companion?  "  she 
asked.  "  She  has  been  more  than  a  sister  to  me,  so 
I  am  not  afraid  to  meet  her." 

Madeline  had  never  seen  Catherine  so  tense  as  when 
she  entered  Mr.  Redmond's  room.  She  was  interested 
in  what  he  would  say  to  her  and  was  amazed  at  what 
occurred.  When  Catherine  approached  the  bed  and 
Redmond  saw  the  beautiful  girl  before  him,  a  smile 
broke  over  his  face  and  he  reached  out  his  hand  to 
her. 

"  I  have  always  wanted  to  thank  you  for  what  you 
did  for  my  boy,"  he  said  heartily.  "  I  understand  you 
went  to  him  when  he  had  a  very  dangerous  fever,  and 
that  you  risked  your  own  life  to  save  him." 

Catherine  showed  her  surprise  at  this  unexpected 
reception,  but  answered  quietly :  "  Whatever  I  did  for 
Mr.  Redmond  was  a  pleasure,  and  I  hope  that  I  can 
now  do  something  for  you." 


270     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  Well,  Blackburn  says  you  can  take  care  of  me,  and 
I  am  in  your  hands,"  said  the  sick  man. 

As  often  happens  in  the  lives  of  men  of  large 
affairs,  this  man  had  taken  no  account  of  his  strength 
and  had  driven  himself  to  the  limit  of  his  endurance. 
He  had  gone  on  through  sheer  force  of  will,  but  now 
he  was  an  old  man  and  realized  that  he  had  come  to 
the  end  of  his  life.  He  asked  that  his  lawyer  be  called. 

"  Not  until  Dr.  Blackburn  says  so,  Mr.  Redmond," 
Catherine  said  gently  though  firmly. 

The  man's  anger  flashed  for  a  moment,  and  he 
reached  for  the  telephone  beside  his  bed. 

"  I'll  call  him  then." 

"  You  may  call  him,"  she  insisted,  "  but  he  cannot 
come  into  this  room  until  Dr.  Blackburn  gives  him 
permission." 

As  he  looked  up  into  her  determined  face  he  real- 
ized that  in  a  sense  he  was  a  prisoner  under  her  firm 
rule,  and  he  understood  why  Dr.  Blackburn  trusted 
her. 

One  morning  when  Madeline  was  in  the  room,  he 
asked  Catherine  if  she  would  not  leave  them  alone. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  I  have  a  feeling  that  I  am 
not  going  to  get  well.  I  must  place  my  affairs  in  order, 
and  attend  to  the  things  immediately  before  me." 

Madeline  realized  that  Mr.  Redmond  was  very  ill, 
and  she  did  not  want  to  antagonize  him,  but  she  felt 
that  now  was  the  time  to  plead  for  Paul.  She  meant 
to  be  very  tactful  in  the  way  she  did  it,  and  tried  to 
show  him  that  a  man  of  such  resources  and  force  of 
will  as  he  possessed  ought  to  be  glad  that  Paul  had 


FACING  THE  END  271 

shown  such  determination  and  strength  of  character 
in  directing  his  own  life.  She  told  him  of  the  many 
things  that  Catherine  and  others  had  told  her  and 
related  how  Paul  had  called  out  for  him  in  his  de- 
lirium. 

When  she  reached  this  point  in  her  narration,  Red- 
mond told  her  to  send  for  Catherine. 

"  Catherine,  please  tell  Mr.  Redmond  how  Paul 
called  for  him  when  he  was  ill,"  Madeline  asked  her 
when  she  came  into  the  room. 

It  was  a  simple  story,  but  it  was  a  convincing  one — 
the  story  of  his  son's  fight  for  life  when  stricken  with 
typhus  fever,  and  of  his  call  to  his  father  across  the 
distances. 

Madeline  was  uncertain  what  her  plea  had  accom- 
plished for  Paul.  Her  strongest  argument  was  that 
Mr.  Redmond's  money  had  come  to  him  from  his 
father  with  no  limitations  and  that  it  should  go  to 
Paul  in  the  same  way. 

Mr.  Redmond  continually  talked  of  Paul  to  Made- 
line. His  standpoint  was  different  from  that  which 
he  had  taken  before.  He  confided  in  her  now  as  if 
she  were  his  daughter,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  reveal 
his  deep  longing  for  his  son.  He  told  her,  too,  that 
if  he  should  disinherit  Paul,  it  would  not  be  because 
he  cared  for  his  money,  but  because  he  felt  that  Paul 
was  utterly  wasting  his  life. 

He  sent  for  his  lawyer  and  Madeline  wished  that 
she  might  know  just  the  terms  of  the  will,  but  these 
she  was  not  to  know  until  after  Redmond's  death. 

The  friendship  which  had  sprung  up  between  Cath- 


272      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

erine  and  Paul's  father  caused  wonder  both  to  the 
doctor  and  Madeline.  The  latter  thought  it  strange 
that  Catherine  had  allowed  herself  to  become  such  a 
friend  to  the  man  she  had  so  freely  condemned.  Be- 
cause of  the  feeling  she  first  had  when  she  went  into 
his  home,  Catherine  had  never  served  anyone  so  faith- 
fully or  so  efficiently.  Then  again  she  could  hear  Paul 
calling  for  his  father  and  now  she  could  see  how  Mr. 
Redmond  longed  for  his  son,  and  the  tragedy  of  it 
touched  her  woman's  heart.  He  demanded  her  every 
attention. 

One  day  Mr.  Redmond  called  Catherine  to  him. 

"  I  have  made  my  will,"  he  said,  "  but  here  is  some- 
thing that  I  haven't  put  into  it.  I  understand  that  you 
have  had  some  trouble.  I  know  what  you  did  for 
Paul  and  I  know  what  you  are  doing  for  me  in  these 
last  days  of  my  life — for  these  are  the  last  days — 
even  Blackburn  has  come  to  the  point  where  he  doesn't 
lie  any  more.  He  knows  I  am  going  down  to  the 
river  and  that  I  must  soon  cross  it. 

"  Here  is  some  stock,"  he  explained,  pointing  to 
some  papers  on  the  table.  "If  you  will  take  it  down 
to  my  office  they  will  put  it  on  the  books  in  the  proper 
way.  I  want  you  to  take  it  there  before  I  die.  Every 
month  an  income  will  come  to  you  from  this.  I  like 
this  way  of  living  together  that  you  and  Madeline 
have  adopted,  but  I  want  you  to  be  independent,  and 
for  this  reason  I  am  giving  you  this." 

Catherine  stood  silent  for  a  moment.  At  first  she 
was  unwilling  to  take  anything  from  him. 

"  Mr.  Redmond,"  she  said,  "  I  can't  take  it  until  I 


FACING  THE  END  273 

tell  you  something.  I  have  condemned  you  more  than 
any  man  I  have  ever  known,  for  I  felt  that  you  had 
been  unjust  to  your  son.  I  believe  that  he  is  right  in 
doing  what  he  is  doing,  and  I  could  not  possibly  take 
this  from  you  without  your  knowing  how  I  feel 
about  it." 

The  old  man  lay  with  closed  eyes  for  a  moment. 
Then  reached  out  and  took  her  hand. 

"  Catherine,"  he  said,  "  a  woman  doesn't  always  un- 
derstand, and  the  fact  that  you  have  blamed  me  and  will 
continue  to  blame  me  for  my  treatment  of  Paul  does 
not  keep  me  from  doing  this  for  you.  You  and  Made- 
line have  brought  the  only  touch  of  womanhood  into 
my  life  that  has  been  there  for  a  good  many  years,  and 
now  that  I  am  going  I  want  you  to  know  my  feeling 
toward  you,  and  I  would  like  to  feel  that  you  are  pro- 
vided for.  So  I  ask  you  to  take  this  gift  from  me. 
What  you  have  said  matters  nothing  to  me  now." 

Catherine  faced  the  future  with  a  light  heart,  for 
Mr.  Redmond's  gift  had  solved  many  problems  for 
her.  When  she  told  Madeline  about  it,  she  said :  "  He 
has  been  so  generous  with  me  that  I  feel  he  must  have 
been  generous  with  Paul  in  his  will." 

Redmond  lingered  for  several  days.  In  the  begin- 
ning they  had  discussed  whether  they  should  not  send 
for  Paul,  but  Dr.  Blackburn  felt  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  reach  New  York  in  time  to  see  his  father 
alive.  Finally  Madeline  decided  to  cable  him,  which 
she  did.  She  told  him  that  his  father  would  probably 
die  very  soon,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him 
to  reach  home  in  time.  Paul  responded  that  he  would 


274     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

come  if  they  thought  he  could  reach  him  before  the 
end,  but  that  if  that  were  impossible  he  would  not 
come,  as  there  were  matters  of  great  importance  re- 
quiring his  attention.  They  advised  with  Dr.  Black- 
burn and  the  lawyer,  and  decided  that  under  the  cir- 
cumstances it  were  better  for  him  not  to  come. 

When  Mr.  Redmond  realized  that  he  was  nearing 
death,  the  end  came  quickly.  He  retained  his  faculties 
to  the  last,  and  Paul's  name  was  often  on  his  lips.  He 
told  the  doctor  and  those  who  came  to  him  that  he 
loved  his  son  even  though  he  had  disobeyed  him. 

While  Paul  was  breaking  the  trail  which  he  had 
chosen  in  far-away  China,  his  father,  a  warrior  of  the 
modern  school,  passed  out  alone  into  the  Great  Beyond, 
but  with  the  hope  that  he  would  meet  the  companion 
who  had  inspired  and  cheered  his  earlier  days. 


XL 
WEALTH'S  TEMPTATION 

THE  day  after  Mr.  Redmond's  death,  his  attor- 
ney called  upon  Madeline. 

"  Miss  Leonard,"  he  said,  "  you  ought  to 
know  the  terms  of  this  will.  I  feel  it  should  be  read 
to  you,  even  though  the  son  is  not  present,  in  order 
that  we  may  decide  as  to  what  is  best  to  do  under  the 
circumstances." 

Madeline  was  surprised  at  the  brevity  of  the  will, 
for  she  had  expected  Mr.  Redmond  to  leave  a  great 
deal  of  his  money  to  the  various  enterprises  in  which 
he  was  supposed  to  be  interested.  But  there  was 
nothing  of  this  nature.  There  were  only  two  clauses, 
which  the  lawyer  proceeded  to  read : 

"  First :  I  give,  devise  and  bequeath  all  of  my  prop- 
erty, both  real  and  personal,  to  my  son  Paul,  upon  the 
condition  that  within  one  year  from  the  date  of  my 
decease  he  shall  relinquish  his  missionary  service  in 
China  and  shall  give  such  portion  of  his  time  to  the 
direction  of  the  business  which  I  now  control  as  he 
may  decide  upon. 

"  Second.  Should  my  son,  Paul,  not  fulfil  the  con- 
dition of  the  first  item  of  this,  my  last  will  and  testa- 
ment, then  I  give,  devise  and  bequeath  all  my  prop- 
erty, both  real  and  personal,  to  Madeline  Leonard, 

275 


276     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

upon  condition,  however,  that  she  shall  not  give  or 
bequeath  any  of  said  property  to  my  son,  except  as  she 
shall  approve  heartily  and  wholly  of  the  nature  of  his 
undertaking." 

Mr.  Redmond  left  a  personal  letter  for  Madeline,  in 
which  he  asked  her  to  go  to  China  with  his  lawyer 
and  try  to  persuade  Paul  to  yield,  in  case  he  did 
not  yield  after  a  reasonable  attempt  had  been  made  to 
get  him  to  accept  the  terms  of  the  will. 

Madeline  realized  that  many  complications  were  be- 
fore her,  for  she  knew  that  the  will  would  be  pub- 
lished in  the  newspapers  and  that  her  relations  with 
Paul  would  be  made  public  and  discussed.  She  dreaded 
this  far  more  than  she  had  thought  she  would,  and 
she  hoped  that  the  story  could  be  withheld;  but  this 
now  seemed  impossible.  Through  the  influence  of 
friends,  it  was  not  featured  in  the  newspapers;  only 
the  terms  of  the  will  were  published  without  further 
comment. 

Mr.  Redmond's  lawyer  wrote  to  Paul  and  stated  the 
matter  very  plainly  to  him.  Dr.  Blackburn  also  wrote 
Paul  and  even  the  Stewarts  joined  in  the  attempt  to 
convince  him  that  he  should  accept  the  fortune  and 
return  home.  Just  at  this  time  Madeline  received 
Paul's  letter,  and  she  knew  that  it  was  utterly  hopeless 
to  try  to  persuade  him,  for  he  would  repudiate  the 
terms  of  the  will,  and  that  the  money  which  was  right- 
fully his  would  go  to  her. 

"How  can  I  use  it?"  she  asked  herself.  "What 
can  I  do  with  it?  To  be  sure  I  can  give  it  away,  to 


WEALTH'S  TEMPTATION  277 

anyone  but  Paul,  and  I  can  give  it  to  any  work  but 
his  work." 

She  was  too  honorable  to  dispute  the  technicalities 
of  the  will,  or  to  do  anything  that  would  defeat  its 
intended  purpose. 

"  Will  he  yield?  "  she  asked  herself.  "  Will  he  not 
see  that  he  can  do  a  greater  work  with  all  this  money 
than  he  can  by  giving  only  his  personal  efforts  ?  " 

When  she  considered  it  from  this  point  of  view  she 
felt  that  there  was  a  possibility  of  his  yielding,  if  the 
proper  pressure  could  be  brought  to  bear  upon  him. 

Catherine  smiled  when  this  was  spoken  of  to  her. 

"  It  seems  strange  to  me,"  she  said,  "  that  you  who 
think  you  know  Paul  so  well,  could  believe  for  a  mo- 
ment that  he  will  yield.  If  every  cent  of  his  money 
were  taken  from  him,  I  believe  he  would  live  as  a 
beggar  in  one  of  those  dirty  streets  in  Fou  Cheo  rather 
than  be  untrue  to  the  cause  to  which  he  has  committed 
himself.  Perhaps,  Madeline,  I  ought  not  to  say  what 
I  am  going  to  say,  but  to  one  who  has  not  always 
been  true  to  herself,  it  means  much  to  me  to  see  a  man 
remain  true  to  his  ideals.  You  would  not  take  them 
from  him,  would  you  ?  I,  an  outcast,  know  the  mean- 
ing of  that  loss." 

Madeline  remonstrated,  and  tried  to  show  the  other 
that  this  was  not  true. 

"  Oh,  I  know  you  have  done  everything  for  me," 
Catherine  responded,  "  and  you  have  borne  criticism 
that  I  have  not  wanted  you  to  bear,  but  the  fact  re- 
mains that  at  least  in  my  mind  I  shall  always  be  an 
outcast.  Yet  how  many  people  who  have  been  hon- 


ored  by  society  have  remained  true  to  their  visions? 
The  man  who  dares  follow  that  vision  is  the  prince 
of  our  modern  life.  I  am  not  sorry  that  you  are 
testing  Paul,  for  I  have  no  fear  of  his  answer  and 
no  doubt  he  will  be  kind  in  his  reply,  but  he  will  also 
be  firm." 

Madeline  waited  for  the  coming  of  Paul's  letter 
with  impatience.  Two  other  letters  from  him  reached 
New  York  with  the  one  which  she  opened  so  eagerly. 
One  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Redmond's  lawyers,  and  the 
other  to  Frances  Stewart.  Her  own  letter  was  the 
longest  and  the  most  explicit.  "  Madeline,  I  under- 
stand father's  will  better  than  any  of  you,  for  I  under- 
stand him  better.  I  knew  he  would  not  yield,  and  in 
what  he  has  done  I  know  he  felt  he  was  doing  the 
most  fatherly  thing  in  the  world  for  me  " — was  what 
it  said  in  the  beginning. 

As  Madeline  read  on,  her  heart  sank  within  her. 
Paul  went  on  to  say  that  there  was  no  need  of  her 
trying  to  persuade  him,  for  he  would  never  return 
except  for  a  visit.  He  said  that  he  had  wished  at 
times  that  his  father  would  leave  his  great  fortune  to 
him,  for  there  were  many  urgent  needs  in  the  hospital 
and  other  work  in  which  he  was  engaged. 

"  Now  that  he  has  not  done  this,"  he  said,  "  but  has 
left  this  money  to  you,  I  hope  you  will  do  a  great  deal 
of  good  with  it.  I  have  wished,  of  course,  that  you 
might  come  to  China  and  travel  the  trail  with  me, 
but,  as  I  wrote  you  in  my  last  letter,  I  know  that  this  is 
not  now  to  be.  I  have  put  the  thought  out  of  my  mind, 
and  I  am  preparing  to  travel  the  trail  alone,  perhaps 


WEALTH'S  TEMPTATION  279 

to  the  end.  ...  I  am  coming  home  for  a  visit  next 
year,"  he  continued,  "  and  when  I  come,  you  need 
not  fear  that  I  am  going  to  seek  to  persuade  you,  but 
I  shall  be  so  glad  of  your  friendship." 

At  the  close  of  the  letter,  he  spoke  with  the  greatest 
tenderness  of  what  his  father  had  done  for  Catherine. 
In  all  of  his  life,  he  said,  nothing  had  ever  pleased 
him  so  much,  because  the  Redmonds  owed  a  debt  of 
gratitude  to  Catherine  which  they  could  never  ade- 
quately pay.  His  warm  reference  to  Catherine  raised 
many  questions  in  Madeline's  mind  and  she  wondered 
just  what  his  feeling  for  the  girl  was.  She  wondered 
if  this  beautiful  creature  had  a  hold  upon  the  heart 
of  this  one-time  lover  of  hers. 

Madeline  decided  to  fulfil  Mr.  Redmond's  request 
and  go  to  Paul  and  ask  him  to  accept  this  money  of  his 
father's,  which  would  necessarily  mean  that  he  must 
return  to  America.  She  told  her  decision  to  Catherine. 

"  Catherine,"  she  said,  "  I  want  you  to  go  to  China 
with  me.  I  have  decided  to  go  to  Paul  and  persuade 
him  to  return." 

"  Persuade  him  ?  "  replied  Catherine.  "  Do  you 
mean  that  you  want  to  persuade  him  to  marry  you?  " 

Madeline  was  angry  for  a  moment. 

"  No,  I  am  going  to  attempt  to  persuade  him  to 
accept  this  money,  and  I  want  you  to  go  with  me." 

"  Madeline,  I  don't  believe  there  is  anything  in  the 
world  that  I  wouldn't  do  for  you — with  this  excep- 
tion. It  isn't  because  I  do  not  want  to  meet  Paul 
Redmond,  for  I  should  like  to  meet  him  and  tell  him 
that  I  think  he  has  been  a  little  hard  upon  you,  but 


280     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

I  can  never  go  to  China.  I  have  turned  my  face  away 
from  that  land  forever,  and  I  cannot  go  back." 

"  You  would  not  go  there  even  if  the  man  you  loved 
asked  you  to  go?"  asked  Madeline. 

"  It  matters  not  whom  I  may  love,  I  will  never  go 
to  China  with  him,  nor  do  I  think  I  can  ever  go  any- 
where with  him.  But  that  isn't  the  question.  The 
question  is  not  what  I  might  do,  but  whether  or  not 
I  will  make  this  journey.  I  am  sorry,  but  I  cannot  go." 

Madeline's  second  trip  to  China,  with  Mr.  Red- 
mond's lawyer  and  his  wife,  was  a  far  different  experi- 
ence from  the  first  one.  She  did  not  know  just  what 
she  was  going  to  do,  or  what  she  was  going  to  say, 
and  she  wondered  constantly  if  it  were  unwomanly 
to  go  out  to  Paul.  She  dreaded  his  criticism  and  she 
dreaded  to  meet  him,  for  she  knew  that  he  could 
be  hard  and  arrogant  when  he  felt  that  he  was  justified 
in  his  position,  but  she  considered  that  she  was  going 
to  him  in  a  sense  as  a  business  woman  and  as  his 
father's  messenger.  What  would  she  do  if  he  should 
refuse,  and  in  turn  plead  with  her  to  give  up  everything 
and  marry  him?  She  dreaded  such  a  plea. 

When  she  reached  China  she  went  at  once  to  the 
Astor  House  in  Shanghai,  and  then  wrote  to  Paul. 

"  I  can  go  to  Fou  Cheo,"  she  wrote,  "  but  if  you  can 
spare  the  time  I  wish  you  would  come  to  Shanghai." 

Paul  was  amazed  when  he  received  this  letter,  and 
could  not  understand  why  Madeline  had  come  out  to 
China.  Did  it  mean  that  at  last  she  was  willing  to 
marry  him  and  remain  with  him  ?  He  had  often  hoped 
for  this  hour;  many  times  he  had  dreamed  of  it;  but 


WEALTH'S  TEMPTATION  281 

now  he  would  not  allow  himself  to  believe  it  could  be 
true.  He  decided  to  go  to  Shanghai,  and  so  telegraphed 
her.  He  did  not  indicate  just  when  he  would  arrive, 
and  it  was  rather  late  in  the  night,  when  his  card  was 
brought  to  her  room.  She  went  to  him  at  once. 

Paul's  greeting  removed  at  once  any  doubt  as  to 
what  the  relation  between  them  was  to  be,  for  they 
were  evidently  to  be  friends  and  comrades. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  this  is  mighty  fine  of  you 
to  come  to  see  me  in  this  way,  and  I  am  awfully  glad 
you  are  here.  There  are  many  things  I  want  to  say 
to  you  about  the  will,  and  now  I  can  do  so  without  so 
much  unsatisfactory  correspondence.  Then  I  had 
come  to  the  point  where  I  wanted  to  talk  with  you 
face  to  face." 

From  the  first,  Paul  made  it  very  clear  that  the  old 
basis  had  changed — that  now  they  were  comrades  and 
friends.  Neither  one  referred  to  the  fact  that  there 
had  been  any  misunderstanding  between  them.  Made- 
line did  not  ask  a  great  deal  about  his  work,  except 
as  he  referred  to  the  conferences  that  he  was  to  attend 
while  in  Shanghai.  The  second  rebellion  was  sweep- 
ing over  China  and  there  were  many  problems  before 
him,  so  a  great  deal  of  his  time,  while  there,  was  to  bt 
occupied  with  these  conferences.  Madeline  was  inter' 
ested  in  the  sights  of  the  city,  but  Paul  saw  that  she 
was  studiously  avoiding  a  real  study  of  mission  work. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  after  he  had  spent  a  few  days 
with  her,  "  you  have  come  to  China  to  talk  about  the 
will  that  father  left,  and  I  am  wondering  if  we  had 
not  better  discuss  it.  What  do  you  think  about  it? 


282  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

I  have  talked  to  the  lawyer  and  made  clear  my  attitude 
to  him,  but  I  want  you  to  have  every  opportunity  to 
say  what  you  may  have  in  mind." 

"  Yes,  I  do  think  so,  Paul,  for  I  can't  stay  much 
longer,  but  somehow  I  have  just  been  glad  to  see  you, 
and  it  has  seemed  good  to  become  acquainted  again." 


XLI 
COMPANIONSHIPS  RENEWED 

WHEN  Paul  went  to  Madeline  the  next  morn- 
ing', he  thought  her  more  beautiful  than 
ever  before.  She  was  dressed  more  simply 
than  usual  and  reminded  him  of  the  days  when  they 
were  children. 

"  Paul,"  she  said,  "  I  am  ready  to  say  the  things 
that  I  have  come  all  this  distance  to  say.  I  have  been 
waiting  for  you  to  begin,  but  you  have  not  done  so, 
and  I  do  want  so  very  much  to  talk  frankly  with  you; 
but  when  a  woman  talks  to  a  man  he  should  always 
make  it  easy  for  her  to  say  the  things  that  are  in 
her  heart.  You  have  always  made  it  difficult  to  dis- 
cuss this  question  of  your  work  in  China.  You  have 
always  seemed  so  determined  and  positive  that  you 
have  left  very  little  for  me  to  say.  I  have  a  message 
to  you  from  your  father,  which  I  want  to  give  you, 
but  I  can't  if  you  continue  to  be  so  difficult." 

They  were  standing,  and  Paul  took  both  of  her 
hands  in.  his. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  you  seem  today  more  like 
the  little  girl  who  came  to  me  the  day  your  mother 
died,  confident  and  trusting.  The  years  have  separated 
the  courses  of  our  lives,  and  if  I  have  grown  hard  in 
these  years,  and,  as  you  say,  difficult  to  approach,  it 
has  not  been  from  choice.  But  I  want  you  to  know 


284      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

that  I  appreciate  your  coming  to  China.  It  has  not 
been  easy  to  be  with  you  during  these  days,  Madeline, 
and  not  tell  you  some  of  the  things  I  have  felt.  I 
have  strangled  hopes  that  have  entered  my  heart,  and 
I  have  come  to  you  this  morning  in  the  spirit  which 
you  desire.  I  promise  you  to  be  gentle  and  patient, 
and  to  listen  to  all  that  you  have  to  say,  and  I  want 
you  to  tell  me  your  inmost  thoughts." 

They  sat  down  together. 

"  Paul,"  said  the  girl,  "  I  think  I  ought  to  tell  you 
that  when  I  heard  that  the  woman 'who  kissed  you 
on  the  steamer  had  gone  to  nurse  you,  I  was  very  bitter 
against  you.  I  felt  then,  and  only  then,  that  all  was 
over  between  us.  I  had  hoped  and  prayed  for  an 
explanation,  and  that  you  would  yield  to  my  woman's 
fancy,  for  I  always  believed  that  you  had  an  explana- 
tion. I  believed  it  that  day  in  Yokohama — but  when 
I  heard  that  Catherine  was  nursing  you  I  confess  I 
was  furious  and  that  I  let  go  of  every  confidence  in 
you  that  I  had.  I  sent  for  George  Curtis  and  told  him 
that  at  last  all  was  over  between  you  and  me.  He 
told  me  that  he  loved  me,  and  I  told  him  how  I  felt 
towards  you,  and  that  I  would  always  love  the  man 
that  I  thought  you  were  and  " — she  smiled  into  his 
face  with  crimson  cheek  as  she  went  on — "  that  you 
are.  Well,  we  became  engaged,  but  the  thought  of 
marrying  someone  else  made  me  very  ill.  Then  Cath- 
erine came.  She  knew  that  something  was  on  my 
mind.  She  didn't  know  who  I  was  until  one  day  she 
saw  your  picture  in  my  study, — then  she  knew  that  I 
was  the  Madeline  you  talked  to  constantly  in  your 


COMPANIONSHIPS  RENEWED          285 

delirium  and  who  had  refused  to  marry  you  because 
she  had  kissed  you." 

"You  know  that?"  Paul  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  know.  I  know  everything  that  Catherine 
has  done  for  you,  for  she  has  told  me  everything. 
But  before  I  heard  this,  I  had  told  her  that  I  loved 
you  and  that  I  felt  that  I  could  never  marry  anyone 
else.  She  urged  me  not  to  marry  George  Curtis  and 
I  sent  for  him  and  told  him  of  the  terrible  mistake 
that  I  had  made.  It  was  then  that  Catherine  explained 
everything  to  me.  I  went  to  your  father  and  found 
out  that  he  had  known  about  Catherine,  and  then  I 
wrote  and  asked  for  your  forgiveness.  Then  came 
your  father's  illness,  and,  Paul,  I  should  like  you  to 
know  that  I  pleaded  with  your  father  for  you.  I 
tried  to  make  him  see  things  differently  and  I  thought 
that  I  had  succeeded,  and  so  did  Catherine,  but  you 
know  the  result.  Paul,  I  am  not  here  to  plead  for 
myself  for  I  came  but  for  one  reason,  and  that  is  to 
persuade  you  to  meet  the  terms  of  your  father's  will. 
You  know  he  was  a  good  man,  but  I  did  not  realize 
how  colorless  his  life  had  been  and  how  much  of  it 
had  been  given  to  his  business,  and,  dear,  I  did  not 
realize  how  lonely  your  own  boyhood  must  have  been 
until  I  went  into  that  awful  house  to  live  there  during 
the  weeks  your  father  was  ill.  I  have  been  alone,  but 
I  am  a  woman.  It  is  terrible  to  think  of  a  man 
living  under  conditions  like  that.  I  want  you  to  go 
back  to  America,  Paul,  and  to  take  the  fortune  that 
your  father  left.  I  want  you  to  take  it  for  the  good 
that  you  can  do  for  the  world,  not  only  in  China  but  in 


286  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

all  the  world.  If  you  go  back  and  conduct  the  busi- 
ness your  father  left,  you  will  be  able  to  give  as  few 
men  have  given  and  it  will  be  possible  for  you  to  help 
others  in  a  way  that  has  never  been  done  before,  so  I 
beg  of  you  to  go  back  to  New  York." 

She  told  him  how  his  father  had  loved  him,  and, 
with  a  woman's  tactfulness  and  art,  presented  to  him 
the  possibilities  that  this  wealth  held  for  him.  As  his 
father  had  done,  she  placed  the  power  of  money  su- 
preme over  the  power  of  life. 

She  had  thought  out  every  possible  argument  and 
Paul,  for  the  first  time  in  years,  tried  to  see  her  view- 
point. He  kept  faith  with  her  and  so  considered  her 
every  argument  that  she  almost  resented  his  tender- 
ness once  or  twice. 

"  Paul,"  she  said,  "  don't  be  fatherly  towards  me. 
Just  now  you  are  like  your  father  when  he  talked  to 
me." 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  I  would  like  to  think  it  over, 
but  the  difficulty  is  that  with  your  present  attitude 
toward  China  you  do  not  understand  my  viewpoint. 
You  have  met  a  few  of  these  leaders  who  have  come 
to  the  hotel,  you  have  talked  a  little  with  them,  but  you 
have  not  seen  enough  to  know  the  real  work  that  I 
have  been  doing.  I  have  tried  hard  to  be  convinced." 

"  I  believe  you  have,  Paul,  but  I  feel  I  have  not  con- 
vinced you." 

"  We  will  not  talk  about  that  now,"  answered  Paul. 
"  There  is  one  thing  I  want  you  to  do.  I  want  you  to 
go  to  Fou  Cheo  with  me  and  see  some  friends  of  mine 
and  I  want  you  to  go  over  the  district,  and  see  the 


COMPANIONSHIPS  RENEWED          287 

work  that  has  been  done,  and  then,  Madeline,  I  will 
give  you  my  answer.  This  will  not  take  long,  and 
after  that  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will  do." 

Madeline  was  glad  to  have  the  opportunity  for  fur- 
ther companionship,  and  was  glad  to  go  with  him  to 
Fou  Cheo.  They  went  in  company  with  Dr.  Means 
and  his  wife,  for  Paul  had  taken  the  doctor  into  his 
confidence  and  told  him  the  whole  story.  The  doctor 
had  been  enthusiastic  over  the  trip. 

"  Paul,"  he  said,  as  he  patted  him  on  the  shoulder, 
"  I  know  you  do  not  care  about  the  fortune,  but  we'll 
win  her,  for  we'll  make  her  see  this  thing  and  we'll 
make  her  feel  it.  Leave  it  to  me;  even  if  I'm  an  old 
codger,  I  am  strong  with  the  women." 

Paul  laughed. 

"  Well,  doctor,"  he  replied,  "  we  will  let  time  decide, 
but  the  time  comes  in  a  man's  life  when  he  has  hoped 
and  can  hope  no  more,  so  I  am  not  hoping  now." 

The  doctor  looked  at  him  keenly. 

"  Don't  you  want  her  any  more?  "  he  queried. 

Paul  quoted  a  Chinese  proverb  in  answer.  "  Does 
the  tongue  ever  grow  so  old  that  it  cannot  taste  the 
sweet?  "  he  asked. 

When  Madeline  went  through  the  narrow  streets  of 
the  city  she  wondered  if  it  was  for  this  that  Paul  had 
given  up  both  luxury  and  wealth?  The  doctor  had 
taken  complete  charge  of  her,  for  Paul's  time  was 
largely  occupied  with  the  Chinese  who  met  with  him 
each  day.  The  doctor  pointed  out  the  dike  Paul  had 
built  and  the  farms  that  were  now  on  the  land  where 
the  lake  had  been.  He  showed  her  the  tablet  that  had 


288     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

been  put  up  in  Paul's  honor,  and  when  he  was  not 
about,  he  talked  of  him  constantly.  He.  was  extrava- 
gant sometimes  in  the  language  he  used,  but  Madeline 
listened  intently  and  with  pride,  and  once  she  turned 
and  smiled  into  the  doctor's  face. 

"  Doctor,"  she  said,  "  it  is  well  that  you  are  not  a 
woman,  or  I  would  be  keenly  jealous  of  the  way  you 
talk  of  Paul." 

The  doctor  turned  to  her  almost  rudely. 

"  Why  should  you  be  jealous  of  anyone?  "  he  hurled 
at  her. 

Madeline  flushed  under  his  directness.  She  looked 
at  him  intently  for  a  moment,  and  then  turned  away, 
making  no  reply,  for  she  knew  that  his  accusation  was 
a  just  one. 

The  young  official's  wife  had  been  trained  in  a 
Christian  school,  and  spoke  English  fluently.  Paul 
explained  to  the  official  very  frankly  who  Madeline 
was  and  what  her  relation  to  his  fortune  was, 
and  asked  that  his  wife  should  entertain  her,  which 
she  did.  Madeline  was  feasted  daily  by  the  best 
women  of  the  city,  which  enabled  her  to  see  a  side  of 
Chinese  life  of  which  she  had  never  dreamed.  She 
had  never  asked  Paul  what  she  could  do  if  she  came 
to  China,  nor  was  she  asking  herself  the  question  now. 
Her  only  purpose  in  coming  was  to  convince  Paul  of 
his  mistake.  She  was  amazed  at  his  marvelous  activi- 
ties and  saw  much  less  of  him  than  she  desired,  for 
there  were  constant  demands  for  him.  She  awakened 
quite  early  one  morning,  before  six  o'clock,  and  was 
amazed  to  hear  Paul's  voice  and  the  voice  of  other 


289 

men  talking  in  his  study.  She  went  quietly  to  the 
adjoining  room  and  she  could  tell  from  their  tones 
that  the  conference  was  on  important  matters. 

At  breakfast  she  said  to  Paul :  "  You  were  called 
early  this  morning." 

"  The  day  in  China  must  begin  early,"  he  said  with 
a  smile,  "  and  the  duties  are  so  numerous  in  this  work 
of  reform,  and  of  establishing  schools,  and  in  planning 
for  the  larger  work  of  the  hospitals,  that  if  I  did  not 
work  long  hours,  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  do 
all  that  is  required  of  me." 

At  the  end  of  the  week  the  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Means 
announced  that  they  were  obliged  to  return,  and  they 
asked  Madeline  to  go  with  them,  that  she  might  see 
the  work  of  the  other  centers.  Paul  only  went  with 
them  as  far  as  Wuhu. 

"  Before  the  boat  leaves  I  want  you  to  go  to  just 
one  place  with  me,"  he  said  to  Madeline. 

He  took  her  to  the  cemetery  on  the  hill  where  they 
stood  over  the  grave  of  the  old  captain,  and  Paul  told 
her  of  his  love  for  the  old  man  and  of  the  old  man's 
love  for  him. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  he  was  one  of  the  greatest 
men  I  have  ever  known.  He  was  a  man  worth  while 
in  every  way." 

He  had  told  her  of  his  other  friend  as  they  had  stood 
beside  his  grave  in  Fou  Cheo.  She  was  almost  jealous 
of  these  two  men,  and  she  wondered  how  a  man  of 
Paul's  training  and  culture  could  make  friends  of 
people  who  seemed  so  queer  to  her.  She  was  glad, 
however,  that  he  had  found  some  companions  in  a 


290     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

land  so  strange  and  immense,  and  at  the  same  time  so 
terrible  to  her. 

Paul  promised  that  after  her  visit  with  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Means,  he  would  come  to  Shanghai  to  see  her. 

"  Paul,  have  you  your  answer  for  me?  "  she  asked, 
as  they  stood  in  the  little  cemetery. 

"  Yes,  Madeline,  I  have.  But  I  would  rather  you 
would  go  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Means  and  see  what  they 
have  to  show  you,  and  then  I  will  come  to  you  and  give 
you  my  answer." 

Paul  met  her  in  Shanghai  some  days  later.  Made- 
line saw  the  old  determined  look  upon  his  face.  He 
was  trying  to  be  tender,  she  knew,  but  she  also  knew 
that  she  had  made  her  long  journey  for  nothing.  Her 
heart  was  sore. 

"  Madeline,"  he  said,  "  when  I  saw  you  I  had  a  big 
hope  that  at  last  you  had  come  to  stay  in  China,  but  I 
know  now  that  you  have  not.  You  are  going  away 
unconvinced  by  the  work  that  I  am  doing,  so  I  must 
let  you  go.  These  days  of  companionship  have  not 
been  easy.  I  have  gone  to  my  room  every  night  to 
fight  with  myself,  and  I  want  you  more  than  I  have 
ever  wanted  you  before.  But  it  would  be  folly  for  me 
to  say  one  word  of  love  to  you  so  long  as  your  ideas 
are  unchanged.  Now  that  you  have  seen,  and  go 
away  unconvinced,  hope  is  dead  in  my  heart  forever." 

"  Paul,  you  can  always  hope  for  me,"  the  girl  re- 
plied. "  I  raised  the  question  once  as  to  whether  I 
should  wait  for  you,  but  I  shall  always  be  waiting,  no 
matter  if  it  be  for  a  century." 

"  Oh,  I  love  you,  Madeline,"  Paul  replied,  "  as  I  love 


COMPANIONSHIPS  RENEWED          291 

no  one  else  in  the  world,  as  I  do  not  believe  I  shall 
ever  love  anyone  else.  But  I  think  I  ought  to  tell 
you  that  perhaps  I  shall  not  wait  for  I  doubt  if  I  can 
stand  the  loneliness.  Once  I  told  you  I  would  be  wait- 
ing for  a  comrade  on  the  trail,  and  that  until  you  came, 
I  should  travel  it  alone;  but  the  way  is  hard  and  diffi- 
cult. And  now  that  two  of  my  friends,  who  helped 
to  broaden  and  make  the  trail  easier,  have  gone  to  the 
trail's  end,  I  cannot  promise  to  wait.  I  can  only  say 
that  time  must  solve  our  problems." 


XLII 

MANY   TRAILS 

WHEN  Madeline  left  China,  every  hope  of  a 
fruition  of  his  love  died  in  Paul's  heart. 
He  returned  to  his  labors.  The  amount  of 
work  he  could  accomplish  had  always  astonished  the 
people  of  Fou  Cheo,  but  now  he  threw  himself  with 
renewed  energy  into  every  detail  of  the  tasks  before 
him.  He  studied  the  whole  future  of  China  as  few 
men  were  studying  it  at  that  time.  Three  problems 
confronted  him — China's  political,  social,  and  religious 
.future.  It  was  natural,  since  the  old  government  had 
been  overthrown,  that  the  new  republic  should  have 
many  difficult  questions  to  face.  Already  there  were 
mutterings  of  another  revolution,  and  the  seriousness 
of  the  whole  situation  was  impressed  upon  him.  Some 
of  the  young  leaders  were  anxious  to  do  away  with  the 
old  customs,  and  institute  Western  practices  in  their 
stead.  He  tried  to  impress  upon  them  that  the  essen- 
tial reforms  were  those  which  would  bring  better  health 
conditions  and  adequate  education  for  the  people.  He 
believed  that  the  "  East  is  East,"  and  that  the  changes 
should  not  be  too  radical  nor  too  rapid. 

But  his  greatest  concern  was  for  the  religious  life 
of  China.  The  officials  were  clearing  the  temples 
and  converting  them  into  schools,  and  the  lower  classes 
of  the  Buddhist  priests  were  in  ill-repute  and  the  whole 


MANY  TRAILS  293 

tendency  was  toward  radical  changes.  This  trend  of 
affairs  was  distinctly  dangerous,  for  if  the  religions 
of  the  nation  were  to  be  entirely  overthrown,  the 
people  might  turn  to  materialism  and  agnosticism, 
which  would  be  far  worse  than  their  original  condi- 
tion. 

Paul  had  long  talks  with  the  former  hilltop  priest, 
who  took  the  same  attitude  as  himself  towards  this 
new  condition  of  things. 

"  Sir,"  he  said,  "  if,  in  the  next  few  years,  a  great 
fundamental  basis  for  the  acceptance  of  Christianity 
is  not  laid  in  China,  then  the  opportunity  will  have 
passed  for  another  century.  There  has  been  a  cen- 
tury of  work,  of  planning  and  gradual  change  and  now 
is  the  time  to  rout  the  enemy  if  we  will." 

Paul  had  realized,  in  the  brief  time  he  had  had  to 
visit  other  sections  of  China,  that  all  the  foreign 
leaders  were  being  overwhelmed  with  demands  upon 
their  time,  whether  they  were  consuls,  missionaries, 
or  whatever  their  positions.  He  was  also  impressed 
with  the  willingness  of  these  men  from  nearly  every 
nation  to  take  an  unselfish  stand  in  this  hour  of  China's 
change,  for  they  labored  earnestly  and  untiringly  for 
her. 

The  great  Bible  classes,  which  had  been  instituted 
after  the  meetings  in  Fou  Cheo,  continued.  Some 
members  dropped  out,  but  others  joined.  Paul  had 
called  to  his  aid  two  splendidly  trained  Chinese,  one 
of  whom  had  been  educated  in  America,  and  these  men 
worked  with  him  constantly,  and  were  of  the  greatest 
value  to  him.  He  noticed  more  and  more,  as  the 


294     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

weeks  went  on,  that  those  who  were  attending  the 
Bible  class  were  not  only  pursuing  the  study,  but  were 
also  investigating  thoroughly  all  the  religious  problems 
of  the  day.  The  subject  of  evolution  was  always 
interesting  to  them,  but  it  was  not  an  evolution  that 
admitted  Christian  interpretation.  It  was  thoroughly 
agnostic  in  its  whole  attitude  toward  religion. 

Paul  soon  discovered  that  the  Christian  leaders  were 
not  the  only  active  forces  in  the  religious  field.  The 
Buddhist  and  Taoist  priests  were  realizing  that  the 
old  regime  of  superstition  was  about  to  pass,  and  they 
were  endeavoring  to  rejuvenate,  and,  if  possible, 
vitalize  their  religions.  In  Fou  Cheo  some  of  the 
young  men  had  talked  of  a  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  in  other  centers  this  particular  form 
of  Christian  activity  was  accomplishing  great  things. 
He  was  surprised  one  morning,  when  passing  a  Bud- 
dhist temple,  to  see  a  large  sign  across  its  front  on 
which  were  the  letters  Y.M.B.A.  He.was  puzzled  for 
a  moment,  but  upon  inquiry  found  that  the  young 
Buddhists  of  the  city,  determined  in  their  opposition, 
had  organized  a  Young  Men's  Buddhist  Association. 
This  was  only  a  minor  expression  of  the  attempts 
that  were  being  made  to  counteract  the  influences  of 
Christianity.  Paul  was  never  violent  in  his  opposition, 
except  when  actual  sin  was  concerned,  when  he  would 
express  himself  without  hesitancy.  One  question  was 
giving  him  a  great  deal  of  concern.  "  What  attitude 
shall  I  take  toward  the  problems  that  are  before  me 
here  in  China  ?  "  he  asked  himself.  "  What  shall  my 
objective  be?  " 


MANY  TRAILS  295 

It  was  just  at  this  time  that  Dr.  Means  passed 
through  Fou  Cheo. 

"  I  am  on  my  way  to  a  great  Buddhist  monastery," 
he  said.  "  I  have  been  friendly  with  the  old  abbot 
over  there  for  some  time.  Years  ago  he  had  appendi- 
citis, and  when  all  of  his  mummery  failed  him  he  came 
to  me,  and  I  opened  him  up  and  saved  his  life,  with 
the  result  that  he  has  felt  pretty  grateful  to  me.  I  am 
sure  you  will  be  interested  in  going  up  there.  It's 
called  Flower  Mountain." 

The  journey  would  necessitate  their  being  away  four 
days.  They  saddled  their  horses  and  packed  their  bed- 
ding, and  were  soon  on  their  way  to  the  monastery, 
where  they  were  to  see  eight  hundred  young  men 
dedicated  to  the  Buddhist  priesthood.  Paul  had  never 
traveled  in  this  direction  before.  They  passed  over 
narrow  dikes,  on  either  side  of  which  were  great  rice 
fields,  and  there  were  many  prosperous-looking  Chinese 
homes  along  the  way.  At  last  they  came  to  a  series 
of  low-lying  hills.  Bamboos  and  cedars  were  every- 
where. Holly  bushes  were  growing  on  the  hillsides. 
In  the  distance  Paul  could  see  a  group  of  tiled  roof 
buildings  which  stood  out  in  contrast  to  the  many 
thatched  homes  which  they  passed.  They  came  to  the 
foot  of  a  small  mountain  and  followed  a  stone  road. 
Winding  their  way  up  the  mountain  side,  they  came 
at  last  to  an  avenue  of  cedars,  separating  groves  and 
thickets  of  bamboo.  Paul  had  seen  many  beautiful 
approaches  to  the  temples  in  China,  but  as  they  passed 
through  this  long  avenue  of  trees  he  felt  instinctively 
that  they  were  on  their  way  to  a  place  of  worship. 


296  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

There  were  many  little  temples  and  shrines  along  the 
mile  and  a  half  road  which  wound  through  the  trees 
and  thickets.  They  came  to  an  open  space  just  be- 
fore the  entrance  to  the  monastery.  Looking  back 
over  the  surrounding  country,  they  could  see  Fou 
Cheo  and  other  cities  in  the  far  distance,  and  the 
yellow  river  winding  like  a  golden  thread  through 
the  valleys.  Here  and  there  on  the  narrow  canals, 
they  saw  the  fan-like  sails  of  the  junks.  Paul  sat 
on  his  horse  studying  the  scene  before  him.  This 
was  China,  the  China  that  seems  forever  old,  but  into 
which  was  now  flowing  a  new  life  such  as  he  and 
others  had  never  dreamed  could  enter  it.  He  knew 
that  Christianity  was  in  a  large  part  responsible  for 
this  change.  As  he  sat  viewing  the  teeming  life  that 
lay  before  them  he  thought  that  these  people  must 
of  necessity  often, look  up  to  this  beautiful  mountain 
with  the  monastery  nestling  at  its  top  and  he  wondered 
what  their  reflections  were.  They  had  looked  up  to 
it  for  ten  centuries,  yet  for  ten  centuries  it  had  been 
the  home  of  ignorance  and  superstition.  In  this  hour 
of  China's  change,  what  would  be  the  attitude  of  the 
people  toward  these  institutions  which  represented 
the  religions  of  the  past?  A  few  were  repudiating 
them,  but  even  now  he  was  going  to  witness  a  cere- 
mony which  indicated  an  attempt  to  rejuvenate  and 
bring  new  life  into  the  religions  which  had  not  minis- 
tered to  the  people's  needs  in  the  past. 

His  reverie  was  interrupted  by  the  voice  of  the 
doctor. 

"  Let  us  go  in,"  he  said. 


MANY  TRAILS  297 

They  went  through  a  side  entrance  into  the  temple. 
It  was  soon  noised  about  that  Dr.  Means  had  arrived. 
Paul  knew  that  the  doctor  was  well-known  through- 
out China,  but  had  not  realized  the  full  extent  of  his 
renown  until  now,  for  all  of  the  priests  seemed  to 
know  him,  and  showed  him  great  deference.  While 
he  stood  talking  to  them  several  voices  announced: 
"  The  Abbot — the  Abbot."  The  priests  instantly  lined 
up  on  either  side,  and  the  abbot,  walking  leisurely, 
came  to  greet  his  guests.  His  welcome  was  not  only 
polite,  but  sincere.  He  laid  his  hand  on  the  doctor's 
arm,  and,  turning  to  Paul,  said :  "  Young  man,  I  do 
not  know  you,  but  I  do  know  this  man,  for  he  saved 
my  body." 

The  very  best  that  the  temple  afforded  was  given 
them.  The  ordination  of  the  priests  was  to  take  place 
the  next  day.  Young  men,  some  of  them  merely  boys, 
scarcely  old  enough  to  realize  the  step  they  were  tak- 
ing, thronged  the  monastery.  Parents  and  visitors  were 
beginning  to  assemble.  The  abbot  had  given  the  doctor 
and  Paul  his  own  quarters. 

"  Here  you  will  be  comfortable,"  he  said. 

The  great  main  temple  room,  with  its  gorgeous 
golden  Buddha,  and  the  figures  of  his  disciples  on 
either  side,  interested  Paul.  The  room  had  been 
cleaned  as  perhaps  never  before.  Everywhere  were 
signs  of  the  coming  feast.  The  day  was  beautiful,  and 
the  young  candidates  for  ordination,  in  their  appren- 
tice robes,  were  coming  into  the  temple.  Their  heads 
were  cleanly  shaven  and  on  them  were  securely  fas- 
tened twelve  little  sticks  of  incense,  in  rows  of  six 


on  either  side  of  the  center  of  the  head.  The  cere- 
mony commenced  with  the  chanting  and  recital  of  the 
Buddhist  ritual  by  the  long  rows  of  priests.  The  old 
abbot  stood  in  the  center  of  the  hall  before  the  great 
Buddha,  and  everywhere  large  tapers  of  incense  were 
burning,  and  bells  sounding.  While  the  whole  service 
was  entirely  opposed  to  Paul's  idea  of  worship,  he 
realized  that  these  people  were  sincere.  The  young 
candidates  had  been  taught  that  the  body  must  be  kept 
in  subjection  to  the  will,  and  the  tapers  of  incense 
on  their  heads  were  now  lighted.  With  the  chanting 
of  the  priests  and  the  repeating  of  the  formulas  the 
incense  burned  down  to  the  scalp  and  if  any  sign  of 
pain  escaped  them  they  could  not  be  ordained.  One 
of  the  youngest,  a  mere  boy  of  seventeen  or  eighteen 
years,  shrieked  in  agony  as  he  felt  the  burning  coals  on 
his  head,  and  fled  from  the  long  line  of  priests.  One  or 
two  others  soon  followed  him.  Paul  marveled  at  their 
power  to  endure  this  torture,  and  as  he  witnessed  this 
demonstration  of  faith,  he  prayed  that  such  a  willing- 
ness to  suffer  might  permeate  the  life  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 

The  abbot  had  finished  his  part  of  the  ceremony 
and  was  watching  the  priests.  He  came  over  to  talk 
with  Dr.  Means.  Paul  was  in  no  mood  for  conver- 
sation. The  apparent  power  of  this  force  which  he 
knew  was  largely  against  his  work,  overwhelmed  him, 
and  he  went  out  into  the  deepening  twilight.  He  moved 
slowly  along  the  paths  where  the  priests  wandered  in 
their  daily  meditations. 

"  I  have  no  doubt,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  that  among 


MANY  TRAILS  299 

that  group  of  men  some  are  dishonest  but  most  of 
them  are  sincere  worshipers  and  many  of  them  are 
seeking  the  truth,  and  reaching  out  for  the  divine." 

As  the  twilight  deepened  he  seemed  to  lose  himself 
in  meditation.  He  .saw  the  world  as  a  great  plain, 
across  which  were  many  trails,  some  of  them  rough, 
crude  and  indistinct.  Forms  began  to  take  shape  upon 
them.  Some,  dark  in  color,  came  from  the  girdle  of 
the  earth,  where  the  sun  bakes  and  burns;  he  saw 
that  they  were  practically  naked,  although  bedaubed 
and  bedecked  in  the  worship  of  the  fetish.  They 
seemed  to  be  staggering  unconsciously  forward,  though 
with  real  desire,  and  their  hands  were  stretched  out 
to  the  light.  Those  on  another  trail  leading  from 
the  east  carried  the  banner  of  the 'crescent.  From  a 
thousand  deserts  he  heard  the  cry  to  Allah.  Darkness 
and  gloom  hung  over  this  trail  and  he  saw  that  there 
was  blood  on  the  path,  yet  they  journeyed  toward 
the  sunrise.  Out  from  the  jungles  and  from  the 
heated  plains  of  India  there  was  a  broader  trail,  over 
which  the  Hindu  and  Brahman  moved  slowly,  with 
heads  erect  and  proud  carriage,  because  of  their  civi- 
lization. They,  too,  were  traveling  toward  the  grow- 
ing dawn.  In  another  group  he  recognized,  by  their 
queues  and  silken  robes,  the  people  of  this  country  of 
his  adoption.  They  often  turned  to  look  back,  for  the 
past  seemed  to  hold  them,  but  the  road  they  followed 
also  led  to  the  light.  From  many  lands  they  came, 
stumbling  and  faltering,  sometimes  turning  aside  to 
the  crude  and  grotesque  on  the  way,  but  ever  pushing 
on  toward  the  light. 


300     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

There  were  many  travelers  on  the  trail  which  led 
from  the  Americas  and  Europe,  and  the  road  seemed 
broad  and  straight.  Then  out  of  a  land  small  in  its 
geographical  extent,  along  the  broad,  clear  way,  came 
the  Prince  of  Peace.  Toward  this  trail  led  all  others 
whose  travelers  were  moving  toward  the  light.  Then 
he  heard  the  voice  of  Christ  saying :  "  Come  unto  me 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest  " — a  rest  that  meant  the  joy  of  service — a  rest 
that  meant  the  losing  of  the  false — a  rest  that  meant 
a  rising  to  the  higher  self.  As  Paul  viewed  these 
trails  of  the  world,  he  wondered  if  these  travelers 
must  repudiate  all  that  they  had  believed,  and  then 
again  the  voice  came,  saying :  "  Ye  must  worship 
Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  The  word  "  truth  "  rang 
through  Paul's  soul,  for  he  knew  that  the  false  must 
be  banished  from  the  final  trail;  that  even  on  the 
broader  trail,  across  which  had  been  written  the  name 
Christ,  division,  error  and  false  civilization,  were 
blocking  the  way.  He  was  certain  that  only  in  that 
perfect  being,  the  Christ,  could  they  all  unite.  Again 
came  a  voice,  saying:  "And  they  shall  all  be  as  one," 
and  he  remembered  the  dying  Catholic  priest  who  had 
talked  of  the  union  of  Catholics  and  Protestants.  As 
he  stood  on  that  mountain  in  the  darkness,  with  the 
eye  of  vision,  he  saw  that  the  truths  uttered  by  the 
prophets  of  all  religions  would  one  day  be  united  in 
the  one  great  God,  to  whom  all  the  races  of  the  earth 
are  as  children. 


XLIII 
"  NOT  YOURS  BUT  YOU  " 

PAUL  was  liberal  in  his  attitude  toward  all  the 
religions  of  China,  and  toward  those  persons 
who  differed  with  him.  In  doing  so  he  was  not 
accepting  error  or  ignoring  it,  but  he  was  merely 
using  the  principle  of  love  in  dealing  with  those  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact.  The  government  had  been 
changed  from  Nanking  to  Peking,  the  second  revo- 
lution had  subsided,  and  conditions,  changing  with 
the  greatest  rapidity,  demanded  the  most  delicate 
handling.  Before  China  could  become  a  constitutional 
republic  it  had  a  long  road  to  travel,  and  while  it  was 
nominally  a  republic,  it  was  practically  a  monarchy, 
as  the  new  president  had  almost  unlimited  power. 
Paul  joined  with  other  foreign  leaders  in  China  in  an 
attempt  to  convince  the  leaders  that  China's  need  was 
not  only  a  political  but  a  social  regeneration;  that  the 
banishment  of  the  Manchu  dynasty  and  the  outward 
forms  of  their  old  life  must  give  way  to  the  things 
which  would  save  the  lives  of  the  people  and  make 
China  a  habitable  land. 

At  the  end  of  a  strenuous  period  of  service  his 
friends  advised  him  to  visit  his  home  in  the  States 
for  a  complete  rest,  but  he  was  not  anxious  to  be 
away  from  China  for  any  great  length  of  time,  be- 
cause the  leaders  of  the  new  republic  were  depending 

801 


302     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

upon  him  and  the  various  issues  which  confronted 
him  were  of  great  magnitude,  but  he  realized  the 
wisdom  of  their  advice.  He  was  leaving  his  work 
in  Fou  Cheo  in  charge  of  a  colleague  who  had  worked 
under  his  leadership  harmoniously  and  energetically. 

Paul  experienced  a  feeling  of  strangeness  when  he 
landed  on  American  soil  and  he  could  not  have  be- 
lieved it  possible  that  conditions  at  home  could  seem 
so  strange  to  him  after  a  few  years'  absence.  He  felt 
himself  to  be  an  alien  in  the  land  of  his  birth.  News 
of  his  work  with  the  revolutionary  leaders  in  China 
had  reached  America,  and  he  was  interviewed  by  in- 
numerable reporters  and  invited  by  various  city  clubs 
to  speak.  He  had  never  excelled  in  oratory,  but  he 
had  a  message  and  was  tremendously  in  earnest. 

Paul  found  Madeline  and  Catherine  out  of  the  city 
when  he  reached  New  York.  They  knew  that  he  was 
on  his  way  to  America,  but  he  had  been  so  long  in 
reaching  New  York  that  they  were  uncertain  as  to  the 
exact  time  of  his  arrival.  His  father's  lawyers  called 
upon  him  at  once,  and  repeated  again  in  detail  their 
last  conversation  with  his  father.  They  pointed  out 
that  several  constructions  might  be  placed  upon  the 
point  as  to  what  constituted  giving  up  his  work  in 
China;  that  if  Paul  would  take  a  reasonable  interest 
in  the  business  he  could  claim  the  vast  fortune.  On 
the  other  hand,  they  said,  if  Miss  Leonard  would  give 
her  approval  of  his  course,  they  could  turn  the  prop- 
erty over  to  him. 

"  But,  gentlemen,"  Paul  said,  "  all  these  conditions 
are  impossible.  We  have  gone  over  this  ground  be- 


"  NOT  YOURS  BUT  YOU  "  303 

fore,  and  I  have  already  stated  my  attitude,  which  is 
unalterable.  Now  it  seems  to  me  that  all  that  remains 
to  be  done  is  to  have  the  court  formally  turn  over  the 
estate  to  Miss  Leonard." 

The  lawyers,  however,  were  persistent,  and  Mr. 
Stewart,  and  even  Frances,  joined  with  them  in  their 
request.  The  attitude  of  the  latter  troubled  Paul  more 
than  anything  else,  for  he  knew  that  the  Stewarts 
believed  in  his  work,  but,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  Frances,  he  came  to  feel  somehow  that  they  con- 
sidered that  he  would  be  very  unwise  to  relinquish 
his  fortune  and  not  remain  at  home. 

Few  missionaries  have  the  rare  opportunity  that 
was  his  during  his  stay  in  New  York.  He  was  widely 
entertained  and  invited  to  speak  at  many  functions, 
where  he  presented  his  work  in  a  convincing  way. 
He  came  in  constant  contact  with  churches  of  every 
denomination.  He  visited  the  great  city  churches  and 
the  small  missions,  and  he  went  with  friends  to 
churches  in  country  towns.  He  was  fresh  from  a 
land  where  the  church  had  become  a  vital  part  of  the 
community's  life,  where  the  leaders  of  the  govern- 
ment itself  were  depending  upon  it  for  guidance  and 
help,  and  he  was  impressed  anew  with  the  fact  that 
in  America,  in  most  instances,  it  was  either  a  sort  of 
a  club  or  merely  an  incident  in  the  lives  of  those  who 
had  fellowship  in  it.  When  he  considered  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  money  invested  in  these  churches, 
when  he  realized  that  they  ministered  only  to  their 
members  and  that  they  were  open  only  a  small  part  of 
the  time,  he  saw  how  inadequate  was  their  service. 


304.     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Paul's  former  pastor  invited  him,  in  a  patronizing 
way,  to  speak  on  the  following  Sunday. 

"  I  will  be  very  glad  to  speak,"  said  Paul,  "  but  I 
want  you  to  know  that  my  story  will  not  be  a  simple 
tale  of  China,  for  I  want  to  tell  these  people,  plainly 
and  definitely,  who  knew  me  as  a  boy,  how  inadequate 
I  consider  their  view  of  the  church's  work." 

"  Why,  Paul,  this  church  believes  in  missions,"  said 
the  pastor.  "  You  know  we  give  several  thousand 
dollars  a  year  to  benevolent  work,  and  we  are  con- 
sidered one  of  the  greatest  missionary  churches  in 
America." 

Paul  laughed. 

"  That's  all  right,"  he  said.  "  I  only  want  you  to 
know  what  I  am  going  to  talk  about." 

The  pastor  patted  him  on  the  back  as  he  had  done 
in  his  youth. 

"  Say  what  you  will,  my  son,  we  shall  be  glad  to 
hear  you." 

Madeline  and  Catherine  returned  to  the  city  late 
one  Saturday  night.  They  discovered  that  Paul  was 
in  New  York,  but  did  not  let  him  know  they  had  re- 
turned. They  were  late  at  church  the  next  morning, 
and  Madeline  went  quietly  to  her  pew.  She  looked 
for  Paul  first  in  his  father's  pew,  and  then  sought 
him  among  the  friends  with  whom  he  had  been  stay- 
ing. Failing  to  find  him  there,  she  began  to  fear  that 
he  was  not  coming,  and  when  he  came  in  with  the 
pastor  she  felt  a  clutching  at  her  throat. 

The  pastor  introduced  him  cordially  and  sympa- 
thetically. Paul's  face  was  grave  as  he  looked  over 


"  NOT  YOURS  BUT  YOU  "  305 

the  audience.  He  did  not  see  Madeline.  Then  he 
began  to  speak.  He  talked  with  the  simple  directness 
of  a  boy,  yet  he  spoke  with  the  authority  of  a  man 
of  affairs  %vho  knows  his  subject,  and,  as  he  poured 
out  his  soul  to  that  audience,  he  became  unconscious 
of  everything  but  his  theme. 

He  quite  forgot  New  York  and  began  to  live  again 
in  China.  He  pictured  to  them  its  vastness,  its  re- 
markable history  and  its  tremendous  need.  He  rep- 
resented it  as  a  man  in  whose  veins  burned  a  great 
desire  for  the  fumes  and  dreams  of  the  opium  pipe, 
but  who  was  earnestly  struggling  to  overcome  the 
habit  and  striving  for  better  things.  He  made  them 
see  China  with  its  disease  and  its  filth,  and  its  civili- 
zation that  dealt  with  forms  and  outward  things,  and 
then  impressed  upon  them  the  fact  that  a  wonderful 
wealth  of  character  had  endured  in  spite  of  these 
things,  which  were  only  on  the  surface  of  life.  He 
burned  the  words  "  need  and  opportunity  "  into  their 
minds  until  it  was  not  to  be  forgotten. 

Then  he  followed  with  a  statement  of  his  convic- 
tion as  to  the  duty  of  the  church  to  the  work  at  home 
and  abroad  and  he  scorned  the  idea  of  the  church  as 
a  club  or  a  social  organization.  He  strongly  empha- 
sized that  its  supreme  message  should  be  to  save  the 
world,  and  to  accomplish  that,  it  had  to  become  a 
social  force. 

At  first  the  old  pastor  smiled  at  his  enthusiasm,  but 
later  bowed  his  head  in  shame  as  he  realized  how 
impotent  his  church,  with  its  tremendous  resources, 
had  been. 


306     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

"  My  friends,"  Paul  said,  in  the  midst  of  his  plead- 
ing, "  I  do  not  believe  that  everyone  should  answer 
the  call  to  those  far  fields,  but  I  do  believe  that  if 
we  cannot  serve  across  the  world,  we  ought  to  serve 
across  the  street.  The  world  needs  unselfish  service 
today,  for  Christ  served,  and  He  sent  his  servants 
out  into  the  world,  and  today,  if  we  are  to  bear  the 
name  of  Christ,  we  must  help  in  the  world's  uplift, 
we  must  do  His  bidding  and  live  unselfishly.  The 
command  '  Follow  Me,'  is  not  to  be  interpreted  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  our  own  wills,  but  according 
to  the  will  of  Christ." 

In  conclusion  he  dealt  with  the  relation  of  a  man 
to  his  money.  A  tinge  of  bitterness  seemed  to  creep 
in  for  a  moment,  but  only  for  a  moment,  as  he  showed 
the  returns  that  were  possible — returns  that  might  not 
be  counted  in  dollars,  but  which  would  bring  results 
that  would  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the 
investment.  He  pleaded  with  the  men  who  had  never 
known  want  to  make  some  sacrifice  and  give  some- 
thing for  their  religion.  He  threw  out  a  challenge 
which  for  a  moment  held  his  audience  breathless. 
"  What  has  your  religion  cost  you  ?  What  have  you 
ever  paid  for  it?"  he  asked.  With  almost  pathetic 
tenderness  he  turned  at  last  to  the  young  people  with 
whom  he  had  spent  his  boyhood.  He  seemed  to  pass 
from  them  as  a  man  of  affairs  and  to  talk  to  them 
as  their  friend.  His  theme  was  the  investment  of  their 
lives,  and  he  pointed  out  how  many  of  them  were 
only  drifting  with  no  real  purpose.  He  begged  them 
to  live  lives  that  would  really  count,  and  that  their 


"  NOT  YOURS  BUT  YOU  "  307 

religion  should  not  be  a  pastime,  but  a  passion  that 
would  give  them  power. 

One  woman  in  that  audience  sat  wide-eyed,  for  she 
realized  that  she  had  gone  through  China  unseeingly. 
Paul  had  talked  to  her  about  these  things  when  she 
was  there,  but  at  that  time  she  felt  that  she  had  to 
defend  herself,  but  now  he  was  talking  to  hundreds 
of  people  and  she  knew  that  his  words  were  true. 
She  saw  Paul  leave  the  pulpit  as  soon  as  the  benedic- 
tion was  pronounced,  and  she  knew  that  he  would 
leave  the  church  at  once.  She  went  home  with  Cath- 
erine in  silence,  and  as  they  entered  her  room  Catherine 
put  her  arms  tenderly  around  her. 

"  Madeline,"  she  said,  "  how  could  you  listen  to  that 
story  and  picture  the  scenes  that  he  described,  and 
not  respond  ? " 

"  Catherine,"  she  replied  sadly,  "  his  eloquence 
moved  me  today,  for  it  was  eloquence,  even  though 
he  told  his  story  very  simply.  But  you  must  remem- 
ber that  if  the  needs  at  home  had  been  stated,  perhaps 
we  would  have  felt  differently  about  it." 

But  in  her  heart  Madeline  knew  that  Paul  was  right, 
and  if  he  had  gone  to  her  that  afternoon  and  laid 
siege  to  her  heart  she  might  have  yielded. 


XLIV 
THE   POWER  OF  ACCOMPLISHMENT 

AFTER  leaving  the  pulpit,  Paul  returned  to  the 
home  of  his  friends,  to  find  a  summons  to 
Washington  awaiting  him,  for  affairs  in  the 
far  East  were  very  critical.  China's  relation  with 
other  nations  was  acute,  and  it  had  been  suggested 
to  the  officials  at  Washington  that  they  consult  with 
Paul.  He  was  surprised  to  receive  this  invitation, 
but  felt  that  it  was  necessary  to  accept  it,  even  though 
he  deemed  himself  unqualified.  He  went  at  once  to 
Washington  and  when  he  reached  there,  he  was  asked 
to  take  a  position  under  the  government  and  for  the 
time  being  to  relinquish  his  missionary  service. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  been 
so  misunderstood  in  this  matter.  I  am  wholly  com- 
mitted to  one  line  of  service.  I  believe  that  representa- 
tion of  foreign  governments  is  necessary  in  alien  lands, 
but  I  also  believe  that  more  necessary  than  this  is  a 
correct  presentation  of  the  moral,  righteous  and  eternal 
principles  of  Christianity.  It  is  necessary  for  the 
Christian  missionary  to  go  out,  not  separate  from  his 
government,  but  as  its  forerunner.  I  appreciate  the 
honor  that  you  have  conferred  upon  me,  but  I  cannot 
accept  it,  for  my  work  is  of  a  different  nature.  I 
appreciate  the  delicacy  of  the  situation  to  which  you 
refer,  but  I  am  afraid  that  you  have  not  appreciated 

308 


THE  POWER  OF  ACCOMPLISHMENT   309 

the  importance  of  the  work  to  which  I  have  given  my 
life." 

Paul  sprang  into  greater  prominence  by  the  refusal 
of  this  offer,  and  many  who  before  had  rather  scorned 
his  work,  now  admitted  that  he  was  connected  with 
the  far  East  in  an  intimate  way.  He  remained  in 
Washington  for  several  days,  visiting  the  State  De- 
partment and  other  officials.  Then  he  received  a  note 
from  Madeline  in  which  she  censured  him  for  not 
having  called  upon  her.  He  wrote  her  at  once  saying 
that  he  did  not  know  that  she  was  in  New  York,  and 
that  he  had  supposed  that  if  she  had  been  there,  she 
would  have  attended  the  church  when  he  preached. 
He  assured  her  that  he  would  call  immediately  upon 
his  arrival  in  New  York. 

Immediately  upon  returning  to  New  York  a  few 
days  later,  he  went  unannounced  to  Madeline's  home. 
He  had  forgotten  for  the  moment  that  Catherine  was 
with  her  until  the  maid,  who  answered  the  bell,  asked 
if  he  wished  to  see  Miss  Leonard  or  Miss  Williams. 
Paul  hesitated  but  only  for  a  moment. 

"  I  would  like  to  see  them  both,"  he  replied. 

"Your  name,  please?"  the  maid  inquired  politely. 

"  Just  tell  them  that  a  gentleman  wishes  to  see 
them,"  he  said  with  a  smile. 

The  girls  came  down  together.  Madeline  was  im- 
pulsively glad  to  see  him,  but  Catherine  was  more  re- 
served, though  her  eyes  revealed  her  joy  in  seeing  him 
again.  He  greeted  Madeline  in  the  same  spirit  of 
comradeship  which  he  had  shown  her  in  China,  but 
when  he  turned  again  to  Catherine,  his  eyes  dwelt  upon 


310      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

her  for  a  long  time.  He  saw  a  new  Catherine,  one  of 
whom  he  had  never  dreamed.  The  old  Catherine  had 
been  beautiful  in  feature,  but  the  face  before  him  was 
a  transfigured  one.  On  it  was  written  a  spiritual 
triumph — the  victory  of  a  conquered  life.  Silently 
he  looked  at  her,  as  the  worshiper  of  old  looked  upon 
the  Madonna.  Madeline  noticed  this,  and  she  could 
see  that  the  beauty  which  had  come  to  Catherine  dur- 
ing the  last  few  months  attracted  Paul.  He  stayed  on 
to  dinner  and  late  into  the  evening.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  a  delightful  comradeship,  for  whenever 
he  came,  he  called  for  both. 

"  Madeline,"  said  Catherine,  "  I  feel  terribly  in  the 
way.  I  am  truly  the  proverbial  '  crowd/  the  third 
party.  I  ought  not  to  be  with  you  and  Paul  so  much." 

"  As  long  as  Paul  calls  for  both  of  us,  Catherine, 
you  must  answer,"  replied  Madeline.  "  If  you  do 
not  I  will  refuse  to  see  him,  for  I  am  afraid  he  would 
consider  me  responsible  for  your  not  meeting  him." 

One  day  Paul  called  over  the  telephone,  and  this 
time  he  asked  to  talk  with  Catherine. 

"  Catherine,"  he  said,  "  I  have  been  wastefully  ex- 
travagant. I  am  doing  some  of  the  things  I  used  to  do 
in  the  old  life  here  at  home.  I  have  purchased  a  car. 
It  is  only  a  two-passenger  car,  almost  as  small  as  one 
of  those  jinrickshas  in  the  East,  and  I  want  you  to 
come  with  me  for  a  run." 

Catherine  instantly  realized  the  delicacy  of  her  posi- 
tion, and  she  wanted  to  say  to  him  that  she  could 
not  go,  but  she  did  not  wish  to  hurt  him  even  in  the 
slightest  way. 


THE  POWER  OF  ACCOMPLISHMENT  311 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  go  with  you,  Paul,"  she  an- 
swered. "  I  can  then  talk  with  you  about  some  things 
which  are  on  my  heart." 

Paul  laughed,  and  his  voice  assumed  again  the  pater- 
nal note  which  he  had  sometimes  used  in  the  past. 

"  Child,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  be  delighted  to  have  you 
talk  with  me  about  anything  which  is  troubling  you." 

Catherine  started  to  interrupt  him,  but  he  was  mak- 
ing the  appointment  and  telling  her  when  he  would  call. 

When  he  came  for  her  he  asked  if  Madeline  was 
there,  and  upon  receiving  an  affirmative,  asked  to  see 
her. 

"  I  hope  you  don't  object  to  my  taking  Catherine 
out  unchaperoned,"  he  said  to  her  as  she  appeared. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  have  her  go,  Paul,"  Madeline 
replied  with  a  smile. 

"  I  should  like  to  take  you  both,"  he  said,  "  but 
this  car  does  not  hold  three  people.  Perhaps  tomorrow, 
if  I  may,  I  will  be  around  for  you  in  this  new  jin- 
ricksha of  mine."  Then  he  laughed.  "  I  am  won- 
dering if  I  could  not  take  this  out  to  Fou  Cheo  with 
me,  but  I  am  afraid  it  would  cause  a  riot  if  I  drove 
it  down  those  little  narrow  streets." 

And  his  eyes  seemed  to  be  looking  into  the  far  dis- 
tances. 

"  But  it  will  come,"  he  said.  "  The  little  narrow 
road  on  the  dikes  will  be  broadened,  and  all  that  is 
modern  and  good  will  soon  be  found  in  that  land —  " 
he  turned  to  Catherine  as  he  continued — "which  you 
and  I  love,  Catherine,  but  which  Madeline  does  not 
understand." 


319     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

They  rode  almost  silently  for  a  while,  until  they 
came  to  less  traveled  streets.  Then  Paul  turned  to 
Catherine. 

"  Now,  little  woman,"  he  said,  "  what  is  troubling 
that  heart  of  yours  ?  " 

She  looked  up  into  Paul's  face. 

"  Paul,"  she  replied,  "  it  is  awfully  hard  for  me 
to  say  what  I  am  going  to  say,  because  I  am  afraid 
you  will  think  that  I  am  interfering  with  something 
which  does  not  concern  me.  You  have  been  so  diffi- 
cult to  talk  with  since  you  have  been  home  that  I  have 
left  many  things  unsaid." 

"  Why,  I  didn't  mean  to  be  offish,"  he  replied. 

"  You  have  been  so  cordial,  so  courteous  and  so 
good,"  she  continued,  "  but  somehow  you  have  built 
a  sort  of  a  fence  around  yourself  and  it  has  seemed 
impossible  to  talk  with  you  in,  an  intimate  way.  I 
would  not  talk  with  you  now,  did  I  not  feel  that  you 
know  that  I  am  familiar  with  every  detail  of  the 
trouble  between  you  and  Madeline.  I  know  your  atti- 
tude, and  I  know  hers,  and  Paul,  I  do  want  to  see  you 
and  Madeline  united.  I  feel  that  you  are  not  treating 
her  right."  She  hesitated  for  a  moment.  "  Oh,"  she 
went  on,  "  I  wish  you  knew  how  hard  it  was  for  me 
to  say  that  to  you,  who  have  been  literally  my  saviour, 
but  it  is  because  you  are  that,  that  I  am  talking  to  you 
in  this  way.  I  know  that  Madeline's  heart  was  nearly 
broken  when  she  returned  from  China,  and  I  don't 
want  you  to  be  so  distant  with  her.  I  don't  mean  that 
you  are  holding  her  off,  but  you  are  acting  just  like 
a  big  brother  towards  her,  and  you  know  that  isn't 


THE  POWER  OF  ACCOMPLISHMENT   318 

what  she  wants.  Paul,  I  have  suffered,  and  in  the 
hour  of  darkness,  when  there  was  no  hope,  you  came, 
and  when  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  but  drudgery 
before  me,  Madeline  came,  and  then,  that  I  might  not 
be  dependent  upon  her,  your  father  did  that  splendid 
thing  for  me,  so  now  the  one  desire  of  my  heart  is  to 
serve  you  and  Madeline." 

Paul  was  not  looking  at  her.  His  eyes  were  on  the 
road  as  he  drove  steadily  on.  He  was  silent  for  a 
while  after  Catherine  had  finished  speaking,  but 
finally  he  turned  to  her  and  his  face  seemed  set  and 
hard. 

"  Catherine,"  he  said,  "  if  a  man  has  ever  given  a 
woman  a  chance,  I  have  given  it  to  Madeline.  You 
think  you  understand  her,  but  you  don't;  but  it  means 
much  to  me  that  you  plead  in  her  behalf,  and  if  I  am 
hurting  her  by  being  here,  then  I  will  go  back  to  China 
tomorrow  for  she  is  the  last  woman  on  earth  that  I 
want  to  hurt." 

"  Oh,  don't,"  was  the  quick  exclamation.  "  Please 
don't  do  that,  Paul.  If  you  should,  I  would  feel  that 
I  was  the  cause  of  it,  and  I  would  always  feel  that  I 
had  come  between  you,  and  I  would  rather  die  than  do 
that." 

Paul  saw  her  agitation. 

"  Well,  let  us  think  it  over,"  he  said,  "  and  some- 
time later  we  will  talk  again." 

From  that  day  Paul  was  seldom  with  the  girls  when 
they  were  together.  He  would  take  one  or  the  other 
out  riding.  He  was  resting  as  much  as  it  was  possible 
for  so  active  a  man  as  he  to  rest.  He  rode  often  with 


314.  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

Frances  Stewart  in  the  early  morning  hours,  but  not 
a  single  word  of  affection  had  passed  between  them, 
for  they  were  truly  friends.  He  talked  with  her  of 
his  problems,  of  the  equipment  he  was  sending  out  to 
China,  and  of  the  great  institutional  church  he  was 
planning  to  build  with  the  fund  contributed  by  friends 
in  New  York.  He  talked  of  all  the  work  he  was  plan- 
ning to  do,  and  she  advised  him  with  the  greatest 
frankness. 

This  relationship  with  the  three  girls  had  continued 
for  some  time,  when  Paul  began  to  talk  of  returning 
to  China.  He  found  that  he  was  beginning  to  ask 
himself  the  question  which  had  confronted  him  be- 
fore— "  Why  should  I  go  back  alone  ?  The  next  ten 
or  twenty  years  of  my  life  are  going  to  be  hard  with- 
out a  comrade  to  share  the  joys,  the  burdens,  and  the 
sorrows."  His  heart  yearned  for  Madeline,  as  it 
always  did  when  he  dreamed  of  a  companion  on  the 
trail,  but  he  was  now  sure  that  she  would  never  go 
with  him.  Then  he  thought  of  Frances.  "  Good  fel- 
low," were  the  words  that  formed  themselves  on  his 
lips,  but  he  knew  that  he  could  not  love  Frances,  and 
that  she  thought  of  him  only  as  a  friend.  "  Madeline, 
I  love,"  he  said;  "  Frances,  I  honor;  I  believe  we  could 
be  great  comrades,  but,  after  all,  would  she  come,  for 
once,  out  yonder  on  the  dike,  she  said  that  she  would 
always  go  to  China  only  as  a  traveler?  She  wants  to 
help,  but  only  from  the  distance."  Then  in  thought 
he  turned  to  Catherine.  "  How  I  pity  her,"  he  thought, 
"  how  deeply  I  sympathize  with  her  and  how  deeply 
I  am  indebted  to  her!  But  it  would  mean  serious 


315 

problems  to  take  her  with  me,  even  if  she  would 
come,"  he  thought. 

He  had  not  expected,  when  he  returned  to  America, 
that  this  question  would  again  present  itself,  but  it 
was  hard  to  go  back  alone.  He  must  have  a  comrade 
on  the  trail. 


XLV 

THE  ENEMIES'  REVENGE 

WHEN  it  became  known  that  Paul  would  re- 
turn to  China  at  an  early  date,  the  Chinese 
leaders  of  the  revolutionary  work  in 
America  gave  him  a  banquet  in  the  Chinese  section  of 
New  York  City.  They  made  it  a  very  brilliant  affair, 
to  which  both  men  and  women  were  invited.  Paul 
insisted  that  both  Madeline  and  Catherine  should  ac- 
company him.  Chinatown  was  ablaze  in  his  honor, 
and  the  girls  were  surprised  at  the  magnificence  of  the 
affair.  The  toastmaster,  a  Chinese,  had  held  official 
positions  in  the  Chinese  consulates  in  many  foreign 
countries.  He  outlined  Paul's  service  to  China,  and 
while  he  spoke  with  the  extravagance  of  the  Oriental, 
Madeline  knew  that  he  was  telling  of  the  things  which 
Paul  had  accomplished.  She  never  forgot  Paul's 
speech  that  night.  He  spoke  in  English,  for  the  group 
represented  many  different  dialects  of  the  Chinese 
language  and  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  him 
to  speak  to  them  all  in  their  own  tongue.  He  ad- 
dressed them,  not  as  a  preacher,  but  as  their  partner 
in  a  great  business  enterprise,  and  he  told  them  that 
he  felt  that  they  ought  not  to  thus  honor  him,  for  his 
work  had  only  begun.  He  explained  what  he  consid- 
ered a  vast  partnership  on  which  they  had  entered,  and 
the  need  of  continuing  the  work  before  them. 

316 


THE  ENEMIES'  REVENGE  317 

When  the  meeting  was  over  his  hosts  wanted  to 
call  an  automobile,  but  he  refused,  saying  that  the 
girls  wanted  to  see  Chinatown  and  that  they  were 
going  to  walk  to  the  subway  station,  and  he  insisted 
that  they  should  not  be  accompanied  farther  than  the 
door. 

Out  on  the  street,  Catherine  was  startled  when  they 
passed  a  dark  alley,  for,  hidden  in  its  recesses,  she 
thought  she  saw  a  familiar  figure.  They  walked  on, 
laughing  and  talking  of  the  feast  in  which  they  had 
just  participated,  when  suddenly,  in  the  darkest  part 
of  the  street,  the  girls  were  frightened  by  a  quick  step 
behind  them,  and,  turning,  they  saw  a  man  strike  Paul 
on  the  head  with  a  heavy  weapon,  and  saw  him  fall  to 
the  ground.  Madeline  looked  on  as  if  petrified,  but 
Catherine,  with  the  swiftness  and  sureness  of  a  tigress, 
leaped  upon  the  man  who  was  turning  to  escape.  In 
the  dim  light  she  saw  it  was  the  trafficker  who  she 
had  been  told  had  escaped  from  the  fight  at  the  dike. 
The  awfulness  of  her  past  life  passed  before  her  in 
quick  review  at  the  sight  of  this  man  who  had  been 
a  part  of  that  life.  Her  love  for  Paul  had  been  crying 
for  some  expression,  and  in  the  madness  of  the  moment 
she  grasped  the  man  about  the  neck.  All  the  hate  and 
loathing  of  the  past  seemed  to  vent  itself  in  the  almost 
superhuman  strength  with  which  she  clenched  her 
hands  about  the  throat  of  this  man  who  had  wrought 
so  much  injury  upon  her  and  who  had  tried  to  take 
the  life  of  the  man  she  loved.  Slowly  she  pulled  him 
back  and  farther  back,  and  she  felt  for  the  moment  a 
wild  desire  to  take  his  life.  His  face  was  growing 


S18  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

black  under  the  terrible  grip  when  a  police  whistle 
sounded  and  an  officer  came  running  up  and  took  him 
away. 

For  a  moment  Catherine  was  dazed,  for  the  fury 
of  her  hate  had  swept  across  her  soul  with  tremendous 
force,  leaving  her  weak  and  dizzy.  But  there  was 
another  duty  to  perform,  for  Madeline  was  down  on 
her  knees  beside  the  unconscious  form  of  Paul,  sob- 
bing out  and  calling  to  him.  Catherine  sent  some  of 
those  who  had  gathered  for  restoratives  and  in  a  few 
minutes  Paul  was  helped  into  an  automobile  and  taken 
home. 

The  blow  had  only  stunned  him,  and  had  little  effect 
upon  him.  But  in  the  minds  of  the  girls  who  had  wit- 
nessed the  attack,  there  was  a  revelation  of  what  this 
man  was  willing  to  endure  in  order  that  he  might  aid 
in  opening  the  long  trail  for  a  nation's  life. 


XLVI 
TEMPTATIONS  OF  LONELINESS 

THE  tenderness  with  which  Madeline  waited 
upon  him  and  the  concern  which  she  showed 
over  the  attempt  made  on  his  life  brought  the 
thought  constantly  to  Paul's  mind — "  Shall  I  not  try 
again  to  win  her  ?  Have  I  tried  enough  ?  Shall  I  ask 
her  once  more  to  go  with  me  ?  "  But  he  was  certain 
it  was  hopeless,  and  even  if  she  yielded  to  his  impor- 
tunity, she  would  never  be  happy  in  China,  that  if  she 
should  go  under  such  conditions,  their  marriage  would 
be  disastrous.  Then  came  the  temptation,  "  Why  not 
remain  at  home?"  He  had  found  home  life  sweet. 
The  man  who  exiles  himself  for  a  cause  never 
ceases  to  hear  the  far-distant  call  of  home,  for  the 
environment  in  which  he  was  reared,  the  attachments 
of  the  past.  All  of  these  spoke  to  Paul  in  persuasive 
voice,  but,  even  as  these  things  besieged  and  tempted 
his  soul,  he  was  dismayed  at  the  idea  of  giving  up  that 
upon  which  he  had  set  his  heart,  and  which  he  knew 
was  the  very  life  of  the  little  city  on  the  other  side  of 
the  earth. 

"  I  cannot  give  it  up,"  he  said,  "  and  I  must  not  hurt 
Madeline  again." 

In  his  loneliness  Paul  one  day  decided  to  go  to  Cath- 
erine, not  knowing  exactly  what  his  final  decision  was 
to  be.  Catherine  had  felt  that  Madeline  had  not  been 

319 


320      THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

entirely  pleased  with  the  way  that  she  had  been  with 
Paul,  so  she  had  tried  to  avoid  him.  Catherine 
loved  both  of  them  and  often  prayed  that  she  might 
unite  them.  Madeline,  in  a  woman's  way,  when  she 
felt  that  Paul  was  not  going  to  yield  to  her  wishes, 
began  to  interest  herself  in  other  young  men,  and  in 
a  measure  renewed  her  relation  with  George  Curtis, 
the  result  of  which  was  grievous  misunderstanding. 
Paul  had  never  been  jealous  of  Madeline,  because  he 
had  felt  that  she  had  always  been  loyal  to  him,  even 
thouglr  he  knew  that  she  had  yielded  to  her  prejudices 
and  liad  become  engaged  to  George  Curtis,  and  after- 
wards had  broken  the  engagement,  but  now  condi- 
tions were  becoming  complicated  again,  worse  than 
they  had  ever  been  before.  In  his  heart  he  was  just, 
and  he  decided  that  the  best  way  out  of  the  whole 
affair  was  to  end  it,  but  how,  was  a  problem.  In  this 
uncertain  frame  of  mind  he  called  Catherine  over  the 
'phone. 

"  Catherine,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  talk  with  you. 
I  have  felt  lately  that  you  have  been  avoiding  me,  but 
I  feel  that  it  has  not  been  because  you  did  not  want 
to  see  me,  but  because  you  were  afraid  that  Madeline 
would  misunderstand." 

The  girl  promised  to  see  him.  If  she  had  known 
the  temptation  that  would  face  her  in  the  next  hour, 
she  would  have  fled  from  the  city. 

When  Paul  came  to  her  he  thought  her  more  beau- 
tiful than  ever  before,  and  as  he  looked  into  her  eyes 
suddenly  he  felt  that  he  could  offer  her  a  home  and 
the  loyalty  and  shelter  which  she  needed  and  his  prob- 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  LONELINESS        321 

lems  would  be  solved.  Catherine  looked  long  into  his 
face — and  then,  as  his  purpose  grew  more  definite,  he 
turned  from  her  gaze  that  he  might  be  sure  before 
he  spoke.  When  again  he  turned  to  her  he  saw  a  pale- 
ness as  of  death  upon  her  cheek.  She  was  fighting 
with  her  emotions,  for,  knowing  men  as  she  did,  she 
had  read  his  purpose.  As  he  started  to  speak  she 
reached  out  her  hands  impulsively. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  Paul.  Please — don't  say  it,"  she  cried. 
"  We  would  both  regret  it.  It  means  everything  that 
you  would  think  it  for  even  one  moment.  You  don't 
know  how  the  look  on  your  face  tempts  me  and  how 
I  want  to  yield.  But  when  I  speak,  please  regard  it 
as  final.  Paul,  I  love  you  as  I  never  thought  I  could 
love  any  man,  and  I  could  follow  you  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  but  it  is  not  to  be.  I  shall  always  be  a  good 
woman,  and  I  shall  always  be  loyal  to  what  you  want 
me  to  be;  but  I  would  be  utterly  disloyal  if  I  allowed 
you,  on  the  impulse  of  loneliness,  to  offer  marriage  to 
me.  In  this  hour,  when  I  want  you,  when  everything 
within  me  calls  out  to  you,  I  want  to  plead  again  for 
Madeline.  Oh  Paul,  do  not  go  away  and  leave  her. 
You  have  not  told  me  that  you  love  me  and  in  that 
single  look  you  have  just  given  me,  you  have  not  been 
disloyal  to  the  love  which  you  have  for  Madeline." 

Paul  listened  in  silence  and  then  he  looked  into  the 
face  before  him. 

"  Catherine,"  he  said,  "  you  are  the  most  wonderful 
woman  I  have  ever  known.  I  honor  you  and  respect 
you  as  never  before." 

They  talked  on  and  on.     Paul,  who  had  been  the 


THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

stronger  in  the  past,  now  listened  to  this  woman  re- 
deemed, to  this  soul,  in  which  sorrow  and  sin  had 
wrought  so  great  a  change — a  soul  renouncing  love, 
because  she  felt  it  was  best  for  the  man  she  loved. 

When  Paul  left  the  house,  Catherine  went  at  once 
to  Madeline's  room.  She  was  surprised  to  find  her 
waiting  with  a  sadness  in  her  eyes  which  she  had  never 
seen  there  before.  She  came  directly  to  Catherine, 
with  that  calmness  which  comes  only  after  a  victory. 

"  Catherine,"  she  said.  "  You  know  that  I  am  not 
an  eavesdropper,  but  I  came  into  the  house  not  knowing 
that  Paul  was  here,  and  I  heard  you  talking  to  him.  I 
knew  that  by  some  sign  he  must  have  shown  some  great 
regard  for  you.  I  did  not  want  to  hear  it,  Catherine, 
but  I  could  not  help  it.  I  have  considered  you  a  won- 
derful woman,  and  I  have  loved  you  for  your  victory 
over  self.  You  know  I  have  wanted  Paul,  but  I  wanted 
him  on  my  own  terms — I  wanted  him  to  come  to  me 
yielding,  but  he  has  not  come.  I  have  lost  him — lost 
him,  Catherine,  not  because  of  you,  but  because  our 
ideals  are  different.  Now  I  love  him  enough,  since  I 
realize  I  have  lost  him,  to  do  anything  in  the  world 
for  him,  but  it  is  too  late.  Mr.  Redmond  told  me 
before  I  went  to  China  that  the  Redmonds  were  a  hard 
race.  Paul  has  less  of  that  hardness  than  perhaps  any 
of  them  ever  had,  but  when  I  heard  you  talk,  I  knew 
that  the  end  had  come.  But,  Catherine,  he  must  not 
go  back  to  that  dreadful  land  alone.  I  want  you  to 
go  with  him.  Go  to  him  and  tell  him  to  speak  and  you 
will  go.  I  want  you  to  do  this,  not  only  for  his  sake 
but  for  mine.  I  know  that  you  love  him — I  know  that 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  LONELINESS        323 

you  worship  him,  not  only  out  of  gratitude,  but  for 
what  he  is  and  why  should  both  of  us  be  unhappy 
and  suffer?  " 

Catherine  threw  her  arms  impulsively  round  Made- 
line. 

"  My  dearest,"  she  said,  "  you  are  still  the  same  un- 
selfish woman  that  I  knew  you  always  were,  but  you 
have  forgotten  one  thing.  Paul  does  not  love  me. 
If  he  had  brought  such  love  to  me  today,  I  don't  know 
what  my  answer  would  have  been,  but  he  did  not. 
Every  day,  when  I  looked  into  his  face  I  would  know 
that  he  was  thinking  of  you, — that  he  was  long- 
ing for  you  and  it  cannot  be.  I  want  to  serve  you 
and  I  want  to  serve  Paul,  but  I  cannot  serve  either 
of  you  at  such  a  price,  for  it  is  you,  Madeline,  who 
must  seek  him — it  is  you  who  must  yield  and  it  is 
you  who  must  send  for  him  and  who  must  not  let  him 
go  back  to  China  alone." 

Madeline's  reserve  and  composure  now  completely 
forsook  her,  and  she  wept  bitterly.  Catherine  tried 
to  soothe  her. 

"  Promise  me,  Madeline,"  she  begged,  "  to  send  for 
him.  Promise  me  that  you  will  tell  him  now  that  you 
will  go  with  him  anywhere." 

Madeline  lifted  her  dimmed  eyes. 

"  My  dear,  it  is  too  late,"  she  sobbed,  "  He  on  his 
trail  and  we  on  ours,  we  must  travel  alone,  and  per- 
haps sometime — somewhere — when  life  is  finished — 
we  may  be  worthy  to  travel  and  work  together." 


XLVII 
THE   CALL  OF   A   FRIEND   ETERNAL 

PAUL  REDMOND  realized  that  the  man  of  con- 
viction must  pay  the  price,  that  he  must  be  will- 
ing to  give  up  the  things  he  most  cherishes,  in 
order  that  his  ideals  might  be  attained.  It  seemed  to 
him  that  he  had  fought  the  battle  of  whether  it  should 
be  China  or  home,  a  thousand  times  in  the  years  that 
had  intervened  since  he  had  gone  to  the  East.  He  had 
been  certain  it  would  never  come  again,  but  now  the 
word  "  Alone — alone — alone  "  haunted  him.  He  did 
not  want  to  go  out  to  China  alone,  but  he  felt  that 
it  was  necessary,  for  he  knew  that  Catherine  had  been 
right;  that  no  man  should  marry  unless  love  is  su- 
preme in  his  heart.  He  knew  that  if  he  had  done  so 
the  ideals  which  he  had  always  held  of  home  life 
would  have  been  shattered,  and  he  doubted  if  in  the 
end  he  would  ever  have  been  justified  in  his  action 
had  he  married  Catherine.  The  battle  he  fought  in 
the  next  few  days  was  long  and  acute,  for  Madeline's 
lawyers,  his  father's  lawyers  and  Mr.  Stewart  laid 
siege  upon  him.  Every  possible  argument  and  every 
pressure  was  brought  to  bear  and  again  Frances  joined 
with  them,  and  the  appeal  of  comradeship  was  again 
made.  Even  some  of  the  missionary  officials  ques- 
tioned if  he  could  not  do  greater  good  by  putting  his 
money  into  the  cause,  than  by  giving  himself,  for  the 

324 


THE  CALL  OF  A  FRIEND  ETERNAL   325 

question  of  whether  direct  or  indirect  service  is  the 
more  valuable,  was  an  important  one.  He  wondered 
whether  this  was  a  leading  or  only  a  temptation; 
whether  or  not  God  was  not  calling  him  to  let  this  use 
of  his  wealth  be  an  example  to  others,  and  whether 
he  should  not  actually  give  up  the  trail  upon  which  he 
had  started. 

Just  at  the  time  when  he  decided  that  he  must  settle 
the  question  then  and  forever,  three  calls  came  to  him 
from  China.  One  was  a  long  letter  of  praise  from 
the  China  Relief  Committee.  Already  they  were  plan- 
ning the  construction  of  other  dikes,  the  reforesta- 
tion of  other  land,  the  cleansing  of  the  city,  and  the 
extension  of  the  work  to  outlying  districts,  and  re- 
peatedly, throughout  the  letter,  they  urged :  "  We  need 
you — we  want  you  to  come  back."  Paul  pondered 
long  over  this  letter.  Then  followed  another  from  the 
young  official  at  Fou  Cheo,  who  pointed  out  in  a  con- 
crete way  the  opportunities  that  the  literary  and  official 
classes  in  China  offered  for  direct  service.  "  Mission- 
aries have  labored  for  more  than  a  hundred  years," 
he  said.  "  Occasional  ones  have  entered  the  official 
and  literary  life  of  China,  but  all  of  them  have  helped 
to  lay  a  broad  basis  for  the  hour  of  opportunity  that 
is  now  before  us.  You  have  already  stayed  away 
longer  than  we  expected,  and  the  demands  in  this 
district  and  the  general  demands  in  China  are  so 
tremendous  that  we  want  you  to  come  back.  Now 
is  the  time  that  the  young  men  of  China  need  coun- 
selors, for  now  is  the  time  of  the  great  opportunity 
when  men  can  give  themselves,  if  they  will,  as  they 


326     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

have  never  given  before.  Will  you  not  come,  and 
come  at  once?" 

This  appeal  to  a  higher  and  larger  service  touched 
a  sympathetic  chord  in  Paul's  nature,  but  over  the 
other  letter  he  lingered  the  longest.  It  was  a  letter 
from  the  little  Chinese  church,  telling  of  the  falling 
away  of  some  of  its  members  and  of  the  temptations 
of  others.  It  emphasized  that  the  Bible  Class  had  not 
been  kept  up  in  his  absence,  and  that  they  needed  him. 
It  told  of  the  crying  need  of  Chinese  leaders  for  a 
Chinese  church.  "  If  the  Chinese  church  is  to  hold  its 
own,"  it  said,  "  we  must  have  leaders  of  our  own 
race,  but  they  must  be  trained.  The  colleges  and 
universities  cannot  train  them  if  the  local  fields  are 
not  back  of  them.  We  must  build  up  an  institution, 
but  before  we  build  an  institution  we  must  have  local 
schools  for  the  training  of  our  young  men.  Think 
of  the  remarkable  opportunities  you  now  have  to  train 
these  young  men?  Think  of  the  open  doors  before 
you!  Why  do  you  tarry  so  long?  We  need  a  shep- 
herd and  you  have  proved  your  worth,  and  we  are 
confident  that  if  you  will  come,  all  will  be  well." 

These  letters  gripped  Paul's  heart  and  mind,  yet 
he  knew  that  they  were  only  expressions  of  one  side 
of  the  problem — he  knew  they  told  only  one-half  of 
the  story.  Here  was  his  wealth  and  here  was  his 
love,  and  would  he  not  have  a  false  idealism,  if  he 
followed  this  call  to  the  end  of  his  life  ?  Had  he  been 
over  stubborn? 

One  evening,  as  he  sat  in  his  room  facing  the  pic- 
ture of  Chu,  the  portrait  seemed  to  take  on  life.  Paul 


THE  CALL  OF  A  FRIEND  ETERNAL   327 

pictured  himself  again  sitting  in  the  little  room  of  the 
Manchu  general's  quarters.  Chu  was  talking.  His 
voice  had  lost  some  of  its  usual  calmness,  and  he  was 
speaking  with  clear  authority. 

"  My  friend,"  he  seemed  to  say,  "  I  am  talking  to 
you  not  only  in  behalf  of  China,  but  in  behalf  of  your 
soul,  for  I  am  calling  to  you  to  remember  your  promise 
to  me.  I  am  still  traveling  the  trail  with  you,  even 
though  I  have  somewhat  preceded  you.  I  have  crossed 
the  rapids  and  now  I  can  see  the  future  of  China,  for 
I  see  the  unseen  hosts  of  unbelief  and  of  sin  making  a 
last  fight  to  control  my  country,  but  I  also  see  the 
strength  of  the  church  opposing  them.  The  church 
has  sometimes  sent  out  a  few  who  were  not  fitted,  but 
it  also  sent  out  brilliant  and  able  men,  and  they  have 
done  a  great  service  for  God  in  China.  Many  are 
needed.  I  see  dangers  of  which  no  man  knows  or 
dreams." 

Again  Paul  looked  into  the  face  of  his  old  friend, 
and  a  smile  seemed  to  play  over  it;  that  smile  which 
would  come  over  Chu's  face  whenever  he  was  about 
to  conclusively  answer  some  argument  of  Paul's. 

"  Oh,  you  are  thinking  of  your  wealth  and  of  your 
love,"  he  said,  "  will  you  not  remember  that  rich 
young  man  who  came  to  the  Master?  The  Master's 
one  demand  of  him  was  that  he  should  sell  all  he  had 
and  give  it  to  the  poor.  Your  influence  in  China  was 
the  result  of  your  daring  to  give  yourself,  and  because 
you  dared  to  pay  the  price.  You,  yourself,  my  friend, 
taught  me  that  '  without  the  shedding  of  blood  there 
is  no  remission,'  so  now  I  speak  from  along  the 


328  THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

trail,  calling  to  you  not  to  be  lured  by  the  arguments 
of  those  who  believe  they  are  your  friends.  Come. 
You  have  promised  to  come.  The  very  paying  of  the 
price  will  make  it  possible  for  you  to  do  for  China  and 
for  the  world  what  you  could  not  do  if  you  did  not 
give  yourself." 

Again  across  the  silence  he  seemed  to  hear  his  friend 
saying — and  with  his  voice  was  mingled  the  voice  of 
the  apostle  who  was  one  of  the  first  to  travel  the 
trail  to  the  hearts  of  men — "We  seek  not  yours  but 
you." 

Then  the  voices  ceased,  and  Paul  sat  calm  and  quiet. 
He  stood  with  bowed  head  before  the  picture  of  his 
friend,  and  lifted  his  face  to  the  Master  Himself. 

"  Friend  and  Master,"  he  prayed,  "  I  have  seen  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world,  but,  God  helping  me,  never 
again  shall  I  be  tempted.  I  shall  go  to  the  end  of  that 
distant  trail  realizing  that  '  without  the  shedding  of 
blood  there  is  no  remission.' " 


"  CAN'T  YOU  SEE  THAT  IT  WILL  NOT  BE  ALONE?  " 


XLVIII 
TO  THE  TRAIL'S  END 

THE  calls  that  had  come  to  Paul  from  China 
made  him  decide  to  return  quickly.  He  felt 
that  to  remain  longer  would  be  wrong.  He 
telephoned  Frances  that  the  time  of  his  departure  was 
near,  and  asked  her  to  ride  with  him  in  the  park. 

The  next  morning  as  they  rode  together  she  was 
silent  and  he  could  not  interpret  her  feeling,  but  when 
they  reached  her  home,  and  she  realized  that  they 
were  to  say  good-by,  she  reached  out  her  hands  to 
him: 

"  Paul,  one  day,  out  yonder  on  the  dike,  you  chal- 
lenged me  to  serve  in  China,"  she  said.  "  It  is  not 
given  me  to  do  that, — but  I  want  you  to  know  that 
because  you  have  been  at  home  this  time  I  will  '  serve 
across  the  street.'  I  have  many  plans,  but  I  don't  know 
just  what  life  holds  for  me,"  and  then  what  seemed 
to  him  the  saddest  smile  he  had  ever  seen  crossed  her 
face. 

"  It  seems  that  I,  like  others,"  she  said,  "  must  jour- 
ney alone;  but  I  want  you  to  know  that  you  have 
given  me  new  ideals  and  new  joys,  and  that  because 
of  these  I  will  serve." 

Paul  looked  at  her  a  long  time. 

"  Frances,"  he  said,  "  you  have  been  a  good  com- 
rade and  a  good  chum,  and  I  hope  you  will  come  to 

329 


330     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

China  often  and,  when  you  do  come,  remember  this, 
that  you  will  cheer  me  and  make  the  way  easier." 

Before  he  went  to  Catherine  and  Madeline  he  called 
them  over  the  telephone.  Catherine  answered. 

"I  am  coming  over  to  bid  you  good-by,"  he  said. 
"  I  wonder  if  you  can  both  see  me  now." 

Catherine  gave  a  little  laugh  and  said :  "  Paul,  don't 
be  silly.  You  know  that  we  will  see  you.  I  shall  have 
to  go  out  soon,  but  I  have  been  waiting  in  the  hope 
that  you  would  come." 

Paul  found  Catherine  dressed  for  the  street. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  hurry  you,"  she  said,  "  but  I  must 
go  very  soon.  Paul,  I  always  expect  to  make  my  home 
here,  but  I  cannot  be  idle  any  longer.  I  feel  now  that 
I  must  go  to  work.  You  see  what  your  example  has 
done.  I  telephoned  Dr.  Blackburn  this  morning,  asking 
him  for  an  appointment,  and  he  asked  me  if  I  felt 
I  could  actually  nurse  any  more.  I  told  him  I  thought 
I  could,  and  he  said  he  had  some  work  that  he  wanted 
me  to  do  this  morning.  So,  you  see,  Paul,  I  am  taking 
up  my  old  life  again.  I  know  you  don't  want  to  be 
thanked  for  what  you  have  done,  but  you  cannot  know 
how  earnestly  I  am  going  to  pray  for  you  and  how 
very,  very  often  the  hours  that  we  have  been  together 
will  be  lived  over  and  over  again."  Then  she  paused. 
After  a  while  she  continued.  "  There  is  just  one 
promise  that  I  want  you  to  make  me,  and  that  is  that 
if  you  should  ever  again  be  ill,  if  any  of  those  awful 
diseases  of  China  ever  lay  hold  upon  you,  you  will 
cable  for  me.  I  think  there  is  only  one  thing  in  the 
world  that  could  make  me  jealous,  and  that  would 


TO  THE  TRAIL'S  END  331 

be  if  some  other  nurse  should  wait  upon  you  in  the 
time  of  your  illness." 

They  talked  on  for  a  little  while,  and  then  Catherine 
reached  out  both  hands  to  him. 

"  I  must  go  now,  Paul,"  she  said.  "  You  know 
that  doctor  of  ours  insists  upon  punctuality." 

Paul  lifted  her  hands  to  his  lips  and  kissed  them, 
and  Catherine  was  gone. 

Then  Madeline  came.  The  Madeline  of  old,  the 
Madeline  of  his  youth,  the  Madeline  who  had  asked  no 
questions,  but  one  into  whose  life  had  come  new 
visions  and  new  dreams.  As  he  looked  into  her  face 
he  wondered  if  he  was  going  to  be  able  to  bid  her 
good-by.  He  realized  now  the  difference  between  his 
regard  for  Catherine  and  for  Madeline.  He  had  re- 
gretted to  say  good-by  to  Frances,  his  farewell  to 
Catherine  had  been  a  little  difficult,  but  this  one  seemed 
impossible.  Here  was  the  woman  whom  he  had  loved 
from  his  youth.  Here  was  the  dweller  beside  the  trail, 
for  whom  he  had  endured  loneliness  and  for  whom  he 
had  waited  and,  as  he  looked  upon  her,  he  realized  as 
never  before  that  he  must  wait.  No  word  had  been 
spoken  since  Madeline  entered  the  room.  She  had 
not  even  stretched  out  a  hand  to  him.  She  was  simply 
looking  up  into  his  face  waiting. 

"  Madeline,  I  have  come  to  bid  you  good-by,  to  make 
a  confession.  Do  you  remember  back  yonder,  years 
ago,  when  I  said  I  would  always  travel  the  trail  alone, 
until  you  came?  " 

"  Yes,  Paul,  I  remember." 

"Well,  I  have  been  tempted;  tempted  because  of 


332     THE  TRAIL  TO  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN 

the  loneliness  and  the  struggle.  But  I  am  going  on 
alone.  I  am  going  to  follow  the  ideals  which  mean 
so  much  to  me.  I  wish  that  it  were  not  so.  I  would 
that  I  could  answer  the  call  of  this  love  for  you  and 
remain  here,  but,  as  I  said  in  the  beginning,  if  I  did, 
I  should  not  be  worthy  of  you,  and  so  the  time  for 
good-by  has  come.  I  must  go  alone." 

Madeline  reached  out  her  hands  to  Paul  and  lifted 
her  beautiful  face  to  his.  Then,  with  glowing  eyes, 
said :  "  Alone,  Paul,  did  you  say  alone  ?  " 

Paul  looked  away. 

"  Yes,  Madeline,  alone,"  he  replied  tensely. 

"Alone?"  she  repeated,  "to  face  the  dangers  and 
intrigues  of  those  priests,  and  to  build  up  that  little 
native  church  which  needs  you  so  much  ?  " 

Then  her  voice  broke,  and  he  felt  her  hands  tighten 
on  his. 

"  How  are  you  going  to  do  the  work  for  the  women 
that  you  say  ought  to  be  done?  " 

As  she  looked  into  his  eager  face  she  slipped  one  of 
her  hands  from  his  and  put  it  against  his  cheek,  as 
in  days  gone  by. 

"  Don't  be  stubborn,  Paul,"  she  said  in  a  voice  that 
conquering  love  had  made  the  sweetest  on  earth  to 
him.  "  Can't  you  see  that  it  will  not  be  alone  ?  Can't 
you  see  that  our  ideals  are  now  the  same  and  that 
together  we  will  travel  the  trail  to  the  hearts  of  men? 
I  may  not  be  able  to  go  out  into  all  the  things  you  do, 
sweetheart,  but  it  will  be  out  there  with  you  that 
I  shall  dwell  with  you — beside  the  trail  until  the  end 
comes." 

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